Why Timber is the Best Building Material

Builders Trust Timber Above All

This month, I thought I should talk about a building material that has been the most used since the existence of mankind. Timber.

Used in the right situation timber products are easily the most versatile products for people to use. As technology has progressed, more and more timber products are being used in situations not dreamt of in the past. Today, timber is being used as the main structural product in high rise buildings: for instance, the 15 storey T3 building in Collingwood.

However, we should never forget all timber products originate from a tree and that’s where timber can become a highly emotive issue. The timber industry has always been aware of their responsibilities and employed sustainable forest practices, whereby they replant at least one tree for every tree they harvested.  

Sadly today, the state government has given in to the green lobby and banned harvesting in Victoria.

This has caused a loss of employment across the State. Also, I know of a major wood manufacturer in Victoria who now imports hardwood from the west coast of America. This certainly is not helping our balance of payments.

I wonder if all those who have forced this decision know what building material is holding up the houses they live in? Or if they know the beautiful wall timber lining, staircase, furniture or mantlepiece they have in their house, comes from a tree? They can’t have it both ways.

I also wonder if they understand our Eucalypts, although great carbon dioxide (CO2) absorbers in their early years of life, absorb less CO2 as they approach 80 to 100 years, drop branches and leaves, become carbon neutral and, eventually, carbon negative.

The decision is likely to encourage the use of alternative building materials that require massive amounts of greenhouse producing energy to manufacture, to say nothing of the ground where its raw material was mined from. Our trees grows on rain and solar energy and is easily regrown – the ultimate “carbon capture and storage technology” – naturally.

Accordingly, I list the facts as I understand them:

• About 45% of Victoria’s native forests were locked up in national parks and reserves. Now unfortunately, in effect, 100%
• The Victorian timber industry harvested less than 1% of total forests, harvesting the equivalent of about 5 trees in every 10,000. I wonder how this was unsustainable?
• A tree grows on solar energy absorbing carbon dioxide naturally
• That carbon dioxide (CO2) is converted into carbon that is captured in the timber products we produce and sell. Approximately half of the dry weight of a timber is carbon
• Old growth forests are also locked up and have been for many years
• The Timber Industry has sustainable forest practices, the basis of which is to replant at least one tree for every tree harvested.

One may say that I am biased, but I feel the timber industry needs some protection from those who falsely portray the industry as environmental vandals out there chopping down trees as if there is no tomorrow.

It is my fervent hope a future government will reverse this logging ban so Victorian hardwoods are there for all Victorians to use and admire… to the benefit of the environment.