Environmental issues and the use of wood
With now nearly 7 billion people on the planet, we are seeing ever-increasing impact of man’s activities on the natural environment (land, water, air and the populations of plants and animals that live in or on them).
Timber has been used by man for an enormous variety of purposes since pre-historic times, particularly in the construction of shelter and for artefacts used in day-to-day life.
Today, timber and wood-based products continue to be used in construction, often in conjunction with other, man-made materials (metals, concrete, plastics). Wood is truly renewable in a relatively short time frame and can also be recycled through a succession of uses before returning to its constituent elements of carbon, water and energy.
However, like all resources, the forests which produce timber need careful management if they are to continue to supply the increasing demands placed upon them. Basic information on the environmental issues surrounding the use of timber, sustainable forest management and the supply chain of forest products is given within askTRADA, with more detail available from other websites. Click on the links below for more information:
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