March 18, 2008

Forestry industry leaders promote wood as more environmentally friendly way to build

VANCOUVER

Leaders in the troubled North American forestry industry gathered last week to push for wood products as a more environmentally friendly way to build homes and said as long as people buy carbon-neutral products from regulated markets the industry can thrive.

The message came as the Canadian forestry industry works on its plan to be carbon neutral by 2015, and in the midst of an unprecedented market downturn due a soaring loonie and slumping U.S. housing market.

Avrim Lazar, president of the Forest Products Association of Canada, believes his industry is doing its part to soon offer carbon-neutral products, but the challenge is getting regulators, developers and consumers to support products from more environmentally friendly sources.

“It’s a projection that people are finally going to say, I don’t want stuff that trashes my nest. And hopefully they will for all sorts of reasons,” Lazar said at the Globe 2008 environment conference.

Lazar and other speakers at the special forestry seminar touted wood products as having a much smaller environmental footprint in home building compared with cement or steel.

“People want an energy efficient home. We are making certain they understand the facts of the energy carbon footprint of steel, plastic, concrete and wood,” Lazar said.

Canadian Press

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