The Forest In Your House: How Much Of Your Own House Depends On Forests?

Here at EcoChoice we have long known the importance of preserving the world’s precious forests. However, a huge amount of construction work for properties both private and commercial depends on wood sourced from these forests. 

Of course, there are plenty of ways to build a house without using wood. However, whilst this means that you are preserving the world’s forests, houses made from other materials like concrete, steel and PVCa have a substantially higher carbon footprint. 

Building an eco-friendly home

Today, there are lots of ways to build an eco-friendly home. In addition to pre-fabricated houses, there are also earthships, rammed earth, earth-sheltered home, Zero Carbon homes, AirTight homes and Solar-powered homes. You can install living walls and green roofs in your existing home (as well as solar panels) to make your home a greener place to live, literally and environmentally. 

But why should we be concerned about the wood that goes into constructing a home in 2021? How much of your own house depends on forests? Read on to find out the startling truth. 

The answer is: a lot. We will now talk you through all of the areas in your home that were built using wood that was most likely sourced from the world’s forests. 

The reason for this is because the doors, windows, mouldings, flooring, joists, etc. in your home are all likely to be made from wood. Wood is an incredible building material because it is light, strong and easily available. 

Of course, in ‘the good old days’ of house building, particularly in the US, some houses were built entirely of wood, apart from the glass in the windows! This doesn’t happen as much anymore, particularly here in Britain where there was never a huge percentage of houses built from wood, unlike in Switzerland with their world-famous chalets. If we look solely at how many trees are used to create the internal wooden structures of the average home then an average of almost 22 mature pines are needed to fill that demand. 

However, in addition to the internal wooden structures, there are also hardwood floors, cabinets, wardrobes, chests of drawers, bookcases, bedside tables, etc. to take into consideration. With all of these items to consider in addition to stud walls, staircases, the roof, mantelpieces, etc., that means that the number of mature trees needed to build a house doubles. 

With so much wood being used to build homes today in the UK, that’s why it is so important to use wood from a certified sustainable source, like us at EcoChoice. As @EarthDayNetwork says “We have a mere 10 years to save ourselves, the climate refugees, and the millions of species awaiting their oblivion. Let this be a reminder that all of us can make a small change to save our blue planet  #EarthDay”.

EcoChoice are specialist suppliers of FSC certified sustainable timber products for the construction industry. We supply timber products suitable for external cladding, decking, landscaping and more – all independently certified timber products. 

Sustainable timber

Choosing sustainably sourced timber means that you can rest easy knowing that you are doing your bit for the planet and continue to work with a product that is durable, strong, renewable, light, and recyclable.

Find out more about ways to both protect the world’s precious resources and use timber sustainably by exploring our site today.