WOOD: IS ITS USE GOOD FOR THE PLANET?
"Every 10 years we cut down 1% of all our trees without replanting them, which is the equivalent of the surface area of France. So, decade after decade, one France after another has been wiped off the earth. "*
- JAHREN, Hope: 'The Secret Memory of Leaves' (2017).
We cut down more than 15 billion trees every year. It might seem, then, that we should stop using wood, paper and anything else that comes from cutting down trees, right? Nothing could be further from the truth.
The use of wood can be very positive for the planet and contributes, in fact, to having more forests. How is this possible?
Land can be used for many purposes. The most frequent are agricultural use (livestock or crop fields), housing, or industrial/commercial constructions. Those 'Francias' that are cut down, without being replanted, are usually destined to these uses. Why? Simply because it is more profitable for the owner of the land.
This is why the use and purchase of wood makes the forests profitable, causing the owners of these forests to prefer to conserve them, harvesting in a sustainable manner and planting continuously so that the forest continues to provide an economic return.
We vote with our money: Half of the Planet's fertile land is farmland.
By buying wooden furniture, we will be 'voting' with our money to have more trees. However, they must come from well-managed forests sustainable.If we promote the idea that having a forest is profitable and, therefore, people want to conserve or even invest in it, we will be contributing to a world with more forests.
But... What is a sustainably managed forest?
It is managed in accordance with the principles of sustainable development.
A balance must be maintained between these three pillars: ecological, economic and sociocultural. It consists of a continuous maintenance of the forest, cutting every year a small part of it, in a way that does not harm the biodiversity (fauna and flora) and the soil in which it is located.
For this purpose, studies are carried out to determine the optimum balance, always taking into account the long-term health of the forest stand and the environment.
In addition, some of the wood that is harvested comes from forests with very high tree density, so logging eliminates competition for resources (water, light, etc.) between trees that are too close together. In this way, the trees that remain grow with more nutrients, faster and healthier and, therefore, manage to fix more CO2, manage to fix more CO2.
Well-managed forests to prevent fires
In the management of 'sustainably managed forests', clearings are carried out (removing brush, dry branches, dead trees, etc.) to prevent fires and the spread of pests and diseases, thus contributing to healthy forests, both now and in the future.
To ensure that the wood we buy comes from a sustainably managed forest, the following certifications were created certifications PEFC y FSC. Both guarantee that the products we buy originate from responsibly managed forests.
Better, furniture with a negative carbon footprint
CO2 is the main greenhouse gas. It accounts for 63% of human-caused global warming. caused by humans.
It is well known that trees and plants feed on CO2, and all that carbon dioxide is stored in tree trunks. When trees are left to die in the forest, that CO2 is released as they decompose. If instead of dying, we cut them down and put them to human use, such as in construction or furniture, then that CO2 is trapped forever. CO2 is trapped forever..
The amount of CO2 stored in wood is also much greater than the emissions produced during the manufacture of products made from this material.
We have been hearing phrases like "no to cutting down trees" or "think of the environment, save the forests" all our lives. But what we didn't know is that the sustainable use of wood is actually good for the planet and the environment. And now you know why.
"All the wood in our home - from beams, headboards or stairs - were once part of a living thing, growing in nature and full of sap. If we look closely at the wood grain in these objects we can find the trace of a pair of rings. The delicate shape of their lines tells the story of a few years of life. years of life. If you learn to listen, each of the rings will describe how the rain fell, the wind blew and the sun appeared on every horizon.. "*
- JAHREN, Hope: 'The Secret Memory of Leaves' (2017).