COFI News

Tackle Climate Change – Use Wood

Most people know that forests help clean the air by removing pollutants, absorbing carbon dioxide (CO2) and releasing oxygen (O2). Lesser known is the fact that trees incorporate the absorbed carbon into their wood - and the products made from that wood, such as lumber and furniture, continue to store the carbon indefinitely. When you consider that wood products are renewable and recyclable and their manufacture is responsible for far less greenhouse gas emissions than steel or concrete, wood use emerges as an opportunity help tackle climate change.

In British Columbia, the opportunity to have a positive, long term impact is especially pronounced:

1. BC is a global leader in sustainable forest management, which is critical because healthy, growing forests absorb more carbon and are less susceptible to fire, insects and disease.
2. BC is a major producer of wood products, which can replace energy-intensive materials such as steel and concrete.
3. BC sawmill, plywood, OSB and pulp and paper mills are also major producers of renewable bio-energy from mill residues and have the potential to increase their production of green energy many fold, particularly given the abundance of beetle killed forests.

Given the need for urgent action on climate change, and BC's contribution of growing forests, wood products and bio-energy, it is clear that BC has a competitive advantage as well as an opportunity to become the “supplier of choice” worldwide.

Discover more about how to be part of the solution at: www.BCclimatechange.ca