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The carbon emissions generated by concrete and steel construction are well-known. Why then are we not using more carbon-friendly building materials? In a passionate and compelling argument Paul Brannen advocates the use of timber in buildings wherever possible. His controversial and counterintuitive argument is clear: planting trees is not enough to reduce carbon, we also have to chop them down and use more wood in our buildings and cities.
This is the first book to take timber from the margins to the mainstream, from the forests to the cities. The book tackles head-on questions about sustainability, safety, the biodiversity of commercial forests and the pressures on land use. The case for timber as a construction material is persuasively made – the creation of new engineered timbers with the structural strength of steel and concrete enable us for the first time to build wooden skyscrapers – and draws on the latest developments in engineering and material science. In addition to the familiar forestry models, the book advocates alternatives such as wood farming and agroforestry that bring with them added biodiversity gains for farms.
With the built environment currently responsible for 40 per cent of the world’s carbon emissions, Brannen's message is unequivocal: we must change how we build. Timber! offers fresh and inventive ideas that over time could see our expanding cities storing more carbon than our expanding forests.
Timber! should be read by all those in planning, housing policy, construction and agriculture, and many more besides. Paul Brannen does a fabulous job of showing how feasible and beneficial it would be if we not only sequestered carbon through growing trees, but then locked it up in our buildings and insulation for many decades to come. With innovations like agroforestry on the one hand, and glulam on the other, it's easily within our grasp to grow and use more wood, with multiple benefits for society, not least to more rapidly solve our housing shortage through modular timber based buildings.
— Helen Browning, Chief Executive, Soil Association
Paul Brannen is Director of Public Affairs for the European Confederation of Woodworking Industries and the European Organisation of the Sawmill Industry and he also works for Timber Development UK. He is a former MEP and is a regular media contributor on environmental issues.
Introduction
1. What is the problem we are trying to solve?
2. How timber can decarbonise the built environment
3. Insulation: the big climate win we have yet to deliver
4. Wooden skyscrapers: building big with timber is now possible
5. Fire, timber buildings and safety
6. Why our forests are an important asset in tackling climate breakdown
7. Is there enough sustainable wood to significantly increase its use in construction and renovation?
8. Increasing wood supply by growing more trees on farms
9. Is there enough land? Can we plant more trees and still produce enough food?
10. Harnessing the climate benefits of agroforestry
11. Let’s buy a house from IKEA: homes made from wood in factories
Conclusion: Timber rising!