WASHINGTON'S FORESTS & WOOD ARE A NATURAL CARBON SOLUTION

No. Although Washington will always need forestland that is set aside – currently more than 75% of all forestland acres are restricted from logging – we derive indispensable benefits from forests that are in a never-ending cycle of growth and harvest, and when we derive the benefit from wood as a substitute for more fossil fuel-intensive materials.

When forests are intensively managed – using silvicultural practices such as planting trees, thinning, and taking preventive action against disease and infestation – they grow faster, and store more carbon than unattended, unmanaged stands. In all of Washington State, private forests provide the highest level of growth, in addition to harvested wood products – which continue to store carbon endlessly.

And unmanaged forestland poses risks. The data on growth versus mortality across all categories of forests in Washington state tells a very clear story: In managed forests, the percentage of tree mass lost to mortality is considerably lower than on unmanaged forestland.

Tree mass lost to mortality not only stops absorbing carbon, but it also becomes a much higher risk for inciting mass carbon emission events such as catastrophic wildfires.

Because the goal of ensuring that we have all of the carbon friendly wood we need is entwined with our goals for carbon reduction, it is essential that we look to get as much of that wood from places such as Washington state where working forests check off all of the right boxes. The alternative would be to import the lumber we need from places that do not meet the same high standards. Carbon reduction is global problem. A “not in my backyard” approach would take us further away from a very important goal.

Yes. Building with natural, sustainable and renewable resources is the best way to move to a lower carbon economy. With Washington’s 22 million acres of forests, wood products are the most natural resource, and the forest industry supports more than 101,000 family-wage jobs and rural economies across the state.

Working forests comprise 47% of all forests in Washington State, the rest are conservation areas on private, state and local forests, and federal parks and wilderness areas.

Wood used in long-lived products provides the greatest reduction in fossil fuel use and emissions. On average, when we substitute wood for energy-intensive building products, we offset two tons of carbon emissions for every dry metric ton of wood used. This occurs because we are eliminating fossil fuel emissions that would have been released into the air had we used more energy-intensive materials, thus adding to the net benefit of wood.

The Pacific Northwest, because of our long growing seasons and a legacy of professional forestry reaching back more than a century, is a very special place to grow trees. The region’s access to healthy sustainable forests also makes Washington a natural home to milling operations. Under our state’s comprehensive laws and collaborative forest practice rules, Washington’s working forests are also recognized as meeting the highest standards in the world for environmental stewardship, especially for protecting critical fish and wildlife habitat.

Washington state has set an important and ambitious goal to achieve Net Zero carbon emissions by 2050. Washington’s forest products industry is Below Net Zero, and reduces Washington’s carbon footprint by 12%. While growing, managing, harvesting, transporting and manufacturing wood and paper products emit some greenhouse gasses, growing trees and wood products store significantly more carbon than those emissions. (Source: Global Warming Mitigating Role of Wood Products from Washington State’s Private Forests, University of Washington)

Here are some of the useful facts about Net Zero, working forests and wood:

• Net Zero carbon emissions are also referred to as Carbon Neutral.
• Net Zero Plus means that a system removes more carbon dioxide and greenhouse gasses from the atmosphere than it produces. This is also referred to as Carbon Capture or Negative Emissions.
• Embodied carbon emissions in building materials refers to the carbon dioxide emitted during the manufacture, transport and construction of building materials, and their end-of-life emissions, often referred to as Life Cycle Impact.
• Embodied carbon is responsible for 11% of global GHG emissions and is 28% of the global building sector. Using naturally storing wood products reduces the embodied carbon in buildings.
• Buildings, construction and operation comprise one of the largest consumers of energy and sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. GHG emissions from buildings consist of the embodied carbon of materials and emissions from operations (NZ18).
• Buildings generate 40% of the world’s carbon emissions. With an average global population increase of 82 million per year, by 2050 nearly 70% of the population will live in urban environments, doubling the building floor area. Substituting wood for more energy intensive materials lowers embodied carbon emissions.
• On average, the private forest industry, including growing, harvesting, transportation and milling wood is Below Net Zero as it sequesters 12% of WA state’s carbon emissions (Global Warming Mitigating Role of Wood Products from Washington State’s Private Forests, University of Washington).

Buy local produce in season.

You’ll help reduce the use of fossil fuels in transport costs, as well as fuel to refrigerate food in transit when you buy local. Check your neighborhood farmer’s market to taste what’s in season this week. Mmmm, fresh-picked goodness.

Shop resale instead of buying trendy.

According to multiple sources, the average American discards around 81 pounds of clothing a year. That’s a lot of sweatpants. This year, shop smart and you’ll have pieces to wear for years to come. And we’ll all have a lot less waste in our landfills.

Use public transportation.

Or walk, bike, whatever keeps your car off the road (and emissions out of the atmosphere). Even a day a week can help and it’s an easy way to work towards those 10,000 steps. Bonus: no stressful parking spot scavenger hunts!

Unplug those devices.

“Vampire power,” (the sneaky power drain that occurs even when devices are powered down but plugged in) not only costs billions every year, it contributes to your carbon footprint, even if you’re not actively charging. Also, consider a laptop instead of a desktop for your next purchase and save even more energy.

Green your thumb.

Plant a tree! (We did it 52 million times last year.) Of course, you don’t need a lot of space to grow some green stuff. Even a pot on the back porch or balcony will do. Then, take a deep breath as you take in the oxygen your growing plants release, as they do their part to absorb carbon dioxide.

Turn your water heater down to 120 degrees.

Simply turning that water heater down can save 500 pounds of CO2 a year. If you’ve never adjusted yours, it’s most likely set at 140 degrees. Which means, lowering the temp can not only reduce your carbon footprint, but also your cost and most important, your risk of being scalded.

Build with wood.

The trees that grow on the millions of acres of Washington’s working forests absorb carbon from the atmosphere. Then, when those trees become wood for a house or building, it takes the carbon with it—and keeps it out of our air—for the life of the wood products. Plus, wood products typically require less energy to manufacture than other building materials.