Today is the International Day of Forests; a day to raise awareness of the importance of all types of woodlands and trees, and celebrate the ways in which they sustain and protect us.
BSW Group is the largest integrated forestry business in the UK – so the way the company acts affects us all. That’s why BSW Timber sources materials from well-established and managed sources. Timber is FSC® certified and the chain of custody traces the wood from the forest to the distributor, ensuring customers receive timber that is from legal, environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable forests.
Sourcing timber from sustainably managed forests helps encourage biodiversity. Trees play a vital role in the fight against climate change as they capture CO2 and lock it away. For example, did you know that the CO2 stored in a 5cm block of wood* is equivalent to the emissions of boiling a kettle of water (1.4lt) or watching a 32” LCD TV for just under an hour?
That’s why BSW Timber is committed and passionate about creating a sustainable future for British forests and woodlands, and as such the organisation is a proud member of Grown in Britain.
For every tree harvested, a minimum of three are planted in its place. The Group is also proud to say it uses 100% of the log, with sawmill residues goin into biomass markets for energy production.
As founder members of Wood for Good, BSW Timber supports the ‘Wood First’ campaign too. The campaign calls for a rule in planning guidance that requires wood to be considered, where feasible, as the primary construction material in all publicly-funded new build and refurbishment projects, from housing to bridges.
The benefit of using timber in construction is that it acts as a carbon store during the period of service (storing about six-times more CO2 in the material than is released due to processing, harvesting, transportation, etc). Timber is the only material that has a carbon-negative and an energy-negative footprint when the whole life cycle is taken into consideration.
By planting more trees and using more wood in every day life, we can all play a part in tackling climate change.
You can find out more information about the environment and BSW’s commitment on the media library page here.
*Type: softwood / volume: 125cm3
