Isramart : Sawn timber carbon stores to double by 2050

Isramart news:
f the current consumption of sawn timber continues, carbon stores will nearly double by 2050, according to the Finnish Forest Research Institute.

Each year 0.7 million tonnes of carbon is stored in timber products and 5 million m³ of sawn timber have been consumed in Finland annually since 2000 – equal to 4 million tonnes of atmospheric CO2, or 7% of Finland’s annual greenhouse gas emission.



According to the institute’s calculations, the amount of carbon stored in wooden buildings and wooden structures in Finland equalled a year’s greenhouse gas emissions converted into CO2 in 2000.

Since then the carbon storages in wood products have increased by 12% annually, and in 2004 carbon stores were 26.6 million tonnes.



Even if sawn timber consumption remains at the current level, carbon stores will nearly double by 2050.

"But if sawn timber consumption increases by 1.3% annually, as has been the case in recent years, the carbon stores will be 2.5 times as large as today by 2050,” said researcher Jani Laturi.