A sustainable future lies in a thoughtful today, and a thoughtful today is the need of the hour.
Environmental concerns are being raised in every corner of the world, and it’s time to take a step towards sustainability.
We exist in an ecosystem where all our actions affect the environment in one way or the other. Even a small incident can create environmental imbalance; one can only imagine the impact of an entire industry. According to research, the construction industry has a huge contribution in increasing the carbon footprint of the planet. To overcome this concern, industry stalwarts, aspiring architects and thought leaders are now moving towards green buildings and bringing about a paradigm shift in this industry.
A change in this thought process has brought wood to the centre stage as an excellent building material. The decision-makers of sustainable projects now choose processed lumber over logs, cement or steel in order to reduce the energy used and the pollution caused in the construction of regular buildings.
Seasoned. Strong. Sustainable. A combination of qualities unique to Canadian wood species has allowed them to successfully enter the arena of sustainable structures and be an active participant in the world of green buildings. They are renowned for enhancing the long-term physically fit of their forests while providing economic, cultural, social and environmental opportunities for the current and future generation. Canada is decorated with 91% of its original forest cover and has celebrated almost zero deforestation for almost 20 years.
As Canada’s 94% of forests are owned by the public and regulated by the government, the forestry industry follows some of the most stringent laws. The entire process of maintaining and sustainably managing the forests is a combination of federal, provincial, territorial laws, regulations and policies. They follow the ratio of 3:1 in which they plant three more trees as they cut down one tree to overcome deforestation.
To keep the quality and the norms of sustainability in check, the Canadian Wood species are certified by four third-party international programs – Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), Canadian Standards Association’s Sustainable Forest Management Standard (CSA), Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), & Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI). B.C has more third-party forest certification as compared to other jurisdictions, making their support for sustainability stronger.
Canadian Wood also goes one step ahead and supplies only kiln-dried, seasoned, graded, and high-quality softwood to reduce energy wastage during the construction of buildings or other woodwork. These wood products cater to both the appearance and structural market based on their grades, sizes and applications. The natural qualities of these wood species are not just welcomed in the interior industry, but also in the construction industry.
Wood is recognised as a sustainable building material by virtue as it weighs less, thereby reducing the cost of moving. It acts as a natural insulator which results in the reduction of energy required to control the temperature of the interiors. It also has a better life-cycle emission as compared to steel or cement. Additionally, it reduces embodied energy, emits few greenhouse gases, locks away the carbon from the atmosphere, and is durable.
So the next time you think of building or designing a sustainable structure, think Canadian Wood.
FII India, funded by the government of British Columbia (B.C.), Canada represents Canadian wood in India for all its five species viz. Western Hemlock, Douglas Fir, Yellow Cedar, Western Red Cedar and Spruce-Pine-Fir(SPF). FII works closely with architects, manufacturers, importers and real estate developers to provide technical and procurement assistance for their requirements free of any cost.
