Role of Wood Products in Global Climate Change

Presently fossil fuel intensive construction materials (concrete, steel, aluminium, plastic, etc.) have replaced the wood and the wood products which were common in the past. The trend has contributed significantly to complex climate change problem. Wood products offer an advantage over these materials as they are made from renewable raw material, require lower fossil fuel energy inputs during their manufacturing, highly recyclable and store carbon as long as in use and beyond, when the product is re-used or recycled for secondary material or energy recovery. Wood and its products are the store houses of the carbon initially trapped in trees. The inclusion of wood and wood based products into carbon accounting will constitute a positive step to increase wood consumption and carbon removals from the atmosphere. It is especially of importance to developing nations like India which cannot compromise on development amidst fast growing world. Wood products and allied industries with proper governmental support will help the country to achieve high end gains in addition to carbon sequestration and mitigating global climate change.