Global land and carbon consequences of mass timber products
The text examines the environmental impacts of using mass timber products, particularly cross-laminated timber (CLT), as a substitute for steel and cement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. While increased demand for wood raises its price, it also leads to an expansion of productive forest land by 30.7 to 36.5 million hectares by 2100, along with more intensive forest management. If global cumulative production of CLT reaches between 3.6 and 9.6 billion m³ by 2100, long-term carbon storage could increase by 20.3 to 25.2 GtCO₂e, mainly in forests and CLT panels.
Including emissions reductions from decreased use of steel, cement, and traditional wood products, the net reduction in life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions would range from 25.6 to 39.0 GtCO₂e.
