Timber: Emissions
Low fossil emissions, plus carbon locked in the wood
What this tab covers The greenhouse-gas footprint of the commodity at a global level, split by lifecycle phase: extraction (or farming), refining and processing, movement, usage, and recycling or end of life. Intensities are per unit of product; the global total combines intensity with world output. Also covers other environmental impacts and the main levers to cut emissions. Emission intensity 0.10 t CO2e per m3 range about 0.04-0.2 · cradle-to-gate fossil emissions from US and European LCAs and EPDs; excludes about 0.8 t of biogenic CO2 stored per m3 Global emissions per year 45.0 Mt CO2e per year 2023 · intensity x 445 million m3 of sawnwood (indicative); excludes panels, pulp and forest carbon changesPer m3 of kiln-dried sawn softwood at sawmill gate; cradle-to-gate, fossil emissions only (biogenic carbon reported separately). Intensity: CORRIM US wood product LCIs (Puettmann et al., 2010) and European EPDs (indicative). Global total: FAO 2023 (by calculation).
Share of footprint by lifecycle phase
Extraction 35% Refining / processing 65%Footprint by lifecycle phase
| Phase | Intensity | Share | Main sources of emissions | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extraction | about 0.03-0.04 t CO2e/m3 | 35% | diesel for harvesters, forwarders and log trucks; seedlings and site preparation | Clearing natural forest releases far more carbon than this, but most tropical deforestation is driven by farming rather than timber. | CORRIM; EPDs (indicative) |
| Refining / processing | about 0.06-0.07 t CO2e/m3 | 65% | kiln drying heat (often from mill residues), sawing and planing electricity | Kiln drying is the largest energy use; mills burning their own bark and sawdust have low fossil emissions. | CORRIM; EPDs (indicative) |
| Movement | about 0.01-0.03 t CO2e/m3 for long sea or rail hauls (indicative) | – | rail and truck from Canada to the US, ships from the Baltic | Outside the mill-gate boundary. | indicative |
| Usage | storage of about 0.8 t CO2 per m3 while in use | – | carbon held in buildings and furniture | Using timber in place of steel or concrete avoids their production emissions; the size depends on the design. The stored figure follows the EN 16449 method for softwood at about 450-500 kg/m3. | EN 16449 (by calculation, indicative) |
| Recycling / end of life | stored carbon released if burned or landfilled | – | reuse, recycling into particleboard, energy recovery, landfill | Landfilled wood can release methane; burning for energy can displace fossil fuel. Wood fibre is recycled mainly as recovered paper. | qualitative |
Other environmental impacts
Logging of natural forests degrades biodiversity and soil, and illegal logging remains a problem; the EU deforestation regulation requires proof of legal, deforestation-free origin for wood. Plantations of eucalyptus raise water-use concerns.
Levers to cut emissions
- Biomass-fired or heat-pump kilns to cut the largest fossil energy use.
- Longer-lived products such as CLT and glulam that keep carbon stored for decades.
- Cascading use: reuse, then particleboard, then energy, instead of landfill.
- Electric or hybrid harvesting machines and log trucks.
- Certified sustainable forest management (FSC, PEFC) to keep forest carbon stocks stable.
India
India's industrial wood comes mostly from farm-grown poplar and eucalyptus and imports, which eases pressure on natural forests; ISFR-2023 put India's forest carbon stock at about 7,285 Mt of carbon (indicative). Plywood made with formaldehyde resins and hot presses adds processing emissions not quantified here.
Emission figures are indicative global averages from the life-cycle studies named; actual footprints vary widely by site, energy mix and method.