Fao Sindia

Certified timber – wood is good

Timber is sustainable only if it comes from a well-managed forest where for every tree that is cut down a new one is planted, ensuring the provision of timber sources for future generations.

Builders’ merchants, timber merchants and DIY retailers can work with certification schemes such as the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) to ensure their timber is Chain of Custody certified – i.e. is from legal and sustainable sources.

Chain of Custody is the unbroken path that products take from the forest to the consumer, including all stages of manufacturing, transportation and distribution. Chain of Custody certification provides independently verified evidence that the product originates from certified, legal and sustainable forests, and verifies that these products are not mixed with products from uncertified forests at any point in the supply chain.

Timber in the frame as a top construction material

Timber is an increasingly popular choice as a construction material.

For example, many self builders are choosing to use timber frames, especially in kit form. In the UK, it is the fastest-growing method of house construction. So what makes it so popular?

• Flexibility
The timber frame lends itself to open-plan designs and allows for complete enclosure and effective insulation to help increase energy efficiency. The outer leaf can be brick, timber or stone, which provides great freedom in choosing the finished look of your home.

• Speed of construction
A timber-frame house typically takes 30 per cent less time to construct than a brick and block house.

Manufactured inside a factory, its construction is not affected by adverse weather conditions, as in the case of materials that are assembled on-site. Once delivered to site, a timber frame house can be weather-tight within five days, which means less disruption and lower labour and construction costs.

• Durability
Timber is naturally strong and durable. Timber frame buildings age extremely well and can last as long as any other type of building construction. The material also provides good sound insulation and acoustic performance.

• Sustainability
Timber is the most sustainable material available if it is sourced from certified forests. Forests in Europe are actually expanding at the rate of 645 million m3 per annum, so there is scope to increase the consumption of wood.

It is an environmentally friendly product – having the lowest CO2 cost of any commercially available building material. It is organic, naturally renewable and non-toxic. Converting timber into a useable building material takes far less energy and creates less pollution than steel, concrete and brick. Wood is also a highly effective insulating material and is thermally efficient.

Further sustainable credentials include:

- Low embedded energy
- High thermal efficiency
- Is easily recycled and can actually produce energy through combustion