Wood, the world's sustainable structural material
Robert W. Meyer
Abstract:
Wood is a sustainable and renewable structural material. As trees grow, they provide oxygen to the air
and sequester carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide produced during harvesting and manufacture of wood
products is far less than the carbon dioxide sequestered in wood products.
In contrast, production of steel and concrete results in large amounts of carbon dioxide being emitted to
the atmosphere as well as large amounts of other pollutants, many of which cause health problems and
are even carcinogenic. While trees can be harvested on a continual basis (more wood is grown in North
America than is harvested), obtaining raw materials for steel and concrete is devastating to local
environments; even recycling of steel results in large amounts of carbon dioxide production, as well
consumption of significant amounts of water and diesel fuel.
Wood remains the most common structural material for residential construction, where research has
demonstrated its superior impact on the environment. It is being used more and more often in
commercial construction.
The tallest wood building to date is ten stories tall (including a one-story concrete first floor in England).
In this country, four-story wood buildings are becoming increasingly common. The 66-apartment, fivestory-tall Park Point SU dorm at the corner of Comstock and Walnut here in Syracuse is a wood
structure.
Bio:
Meyer is a wood scientist and an educator with a broad background on properties and uses of wood.