8 Reasons That Will Convince You To Use Wood Products For All Your Needs

1. One of the most important characteristics of wood is its Sustainability.

When responsibly sourced and certified, wood represents an excellent option for sustainability, and is thus an ecologically sound choice.

Wood is the most environmentally friendly raw material.
Wood is an important natural resource, one of the few that are renewable.
In fact, wood is the only building material made from sun, rain, and carbon from the air.
It’s infinitely replenishable and renewable.

That’s amazing when you think about it. 

Wood is a raw material that grows and replenishes itself every year.
A lot of people wonder if it’s environmentally sound to cut down trees.
With selective harvesting--in contrast to clear-cutting--it’s not a problem. In fact, it’s great for forest health. 

And trees grow everywhere. Currently, according to this short video from reThink Wood, the rate of US reforestation and tree growth outstrips harvesting by 40%.

In fact, one media source claims that, In the United States, deforestation has been more than offset by reforestation between 1990 and 2010. The nation added 7,687,000 hectares (18,995,000 acres) of forested land during that period.

In Europe forests are managed to support manufacturing. They’re actually expanding at the rate of 5,000 sq kilometers/year. When trees are selectively harvested, new trees are planted in their place. In fact, from 1990-2005, Europe regrew forests the size of Greece. (Resources: Arbor Day Foundation: Replanting Our National Forests and U.S. Forest Service: National Report on Sustainable Forests - 2010).

Another way wood is a sustainable option is that it gives the opportunity to buy local from specialized artisans in your community. This gives you the chance to not only support the local timber industry, but also the local economy.

Unlike metal or plastic, wood comes from the world that surrounds us. While we may be surrounded by a technology-focused economy, we find our inspiration in creating locally sourced, heirloom wood products. 

 

2. Wood is energy efficient.  

 

Wood is an excellent insulator due to air pockets within its cellular structure that helps to slow the conductivity of heat, which means that it is 15x better than masonry, 400x better than steel, and 1,770x better than aluminum. Since wood lacks the electrical properties, it won't be able to conduct electricity-making wood products safer in the kitchen and bath.

Wood is good, as they say, because it is incredibly green:

• Wood is the only 100% renewable resource in the manufacturing of building products.
• Wood is the only naturally recyclable and biodegradable building material.
• Wood has the lowest environmental impact compared to other building products such as steel, concrete, tile, vinyl siding, fiber cement siding, and stucco.
• Wood products require less embodied energy. This is energy used in the extraction, production and transportation of the resource.
• Wood products require little to no fossil fuels (a non-renewable resource) to produce.
• Wood products produce less air pollution.
• Wood products produce less water pollution. 

 

3. Wood is great for the environment.

 

Wood is the only material that helps tackle climate change. It is important to remove carbon from the atmosphere as well as reduce new carbon emissions going into the atmosphere. Wood achieves both of these.

Wood that is responsibly sourced is actually the only renewable building material around—trees that are harvested for their wood can be replenished by new growth.

What's more, the carbon footprint that results from the production and processing of wood products is drastically lower than that for other building materials. And with up to 50 per cent of the dry weight of wood being carbon, wood also has the capacity to store carbon, something that’s crucial in the fight against climate change.

Wood products are healthy for our environment in that they prevent climate change. First, trees absorb carbon throughout their life. They take it out of the atmosphere and store it in their trunks as they grow. But it doesn't end there. 

When trees are turned into wood products they continue to store that carbon. By using solid hardwood furniture, we are preventing climate change and the greenhouse effect.

And then, it doesn’t even stop there. Eventually, we can reclaim the solar energy stored in wood at the end of the product life cycle by burning wood for energy.

Though we would hate for you to burn your wood bench(es) it sure would be a fun bonfire and you can always order more! 

Compared to oil, coal and natural gas, burning wood creates clean energy and no waste.

Re-using wood for energy like this is a great way to displace dirty, non-renewable, and carbon-emitting energy sources like coal, oil, and natural gas. 

 

4. Durability

Without question, durability is one of the biggest selling points of all-natural wood products.

This durability ensures that wooden furniture offers excellent value for your money—and should you ever want to sell a piece, solidly made, well-looked-after furniture can maintain its value over the years with just easy maintenance. Waxing, polishing and oiling only need to be carried out occasionally, and is an undemanding process.

You may have in your possession wood bowls, wood trestles or other wood products handed down generation to generation in your kitchen now. Wood products tend to last forever-if not just longer than plastic and other man-made materials.

5. Strength

Did your mother ever break her wooden spoon on your behind?  

Have you noticed how difficult it is for wood products to break?

Sometimes we find ourselves using wood products for many and various ways, ways not intended for, because wood IS so strong.

For example, pulling out a kitchen cutting board to use over a door's threshold as a ramp for visitors in a wheelchair . Have you done similar?

6. Variety

 

The vast range of colors and tones of wood means that plenty of variety is available for style and look. And this is not to mention the subtle but noticeable differences between the grains and textures of different species and cuts.

No two trees are alike therefore lifestyle wood products are as unique as the trees they come from, making your product truly one-of-a-kind.

 

 

7. Versatility

Unlike many other materials, wood looks good in pretty much any setting. Wooden furniture can be a part of any design scheme, be it modern or rustic, and different species will blend together tastefully within one room or house.

Wood products represent a return to simplicity. In a society that thrives on overly-designed and mass-produced products, handcrafted wood products are a refreshing change of pace; a welcome disruptor to the hustle of everyday life.

While products made from ceramics, plastics and other man-made materials can look aesthetically pleasing, nothing can match the natural beauty of wood.

Wood has been the most trusted and prized working material since the early beginnings of our country.

No matter if you’re displaying your phone in an impressive wood phone case, or bringing the outdoors in to the office with wooden mousepads and business card holders, the beautiful wood grain pattern and smooth finish add an elegant touch to everyday products.

There is no household area that doesn’t suit the warmth, richness, comfort and finesse of wooden furniture. Tables, chairs, bed frames, shelves, chests of drawers, wood sculpted lights, cupboards and even ornaments—the advantages of wooden furniture in the home cannot be overstated. Most of all, wood offers a unique combination of aesthetic appeal and peerless structural integrity that other materials can’t reflect.

As part of nature-connected interior design, wood can transform the mood of a room or entire house, creating a homey, welcoming feel in a truly 'organic' sense. It’s also not a fad—this material has been used for furniture construction for generations upon generations, and as such offers a timeless quality that cannot be replicated.

Try to capture a bit of nature while breathing new life into the things you use every day. 

And last but certainly not least…

8. Wood Is Good For Health and Well-being

Research has identified that the increased use of wood has measurable physiological and psychological health benefits. We now know that workers are less stressed and more productive, students learn better, patients heal faster, and people are generally happier and calmer in spaces that contain natural elements like wood.

Wood provides a material connection with nature; it is a natural material that is often used with minimal processing to provide both functional uses and aesthetic beauty.

Used well, the nature connection provided by wood can extend into boosting our health and wellbeing. Research on the health impact of natural materials, including wood, is a growing but still limited area of study.

The research typically examines the physiological response to variable quantities of materials such as wood compared with other materials and the impact upon various parameters associated with health, such as blood pressure or cognitive performance.

The term neuro-architecture has also been coined to define the process of informing design by correlating specific measures of the environment with quantified measures of the brain’s and body’s responses (neural, physiological and psychological responses), as well as sociological, behavioral and economic outcomes. The objective of much of the research is to explore how wood can be used to enhance the indoor environment using its characteristics, be they visual, physical or even tactile.

We experience wood across the range of our senses and for many of us touching wood is not just for luck but also a response to the texture and warmth of the material. 

As you’re walking around, eating, drinking, working and living life—keep your eyes open for wood alternatives to the products you’re using----and use them!

Don't know where to start? Check out these ideas and join us for taking your first steps towards a more sustainable lifestyle. 

Get inspired and find new, high-quality products by visiting our website.

Our brand is a group of people who love life, outdoors, RV life, cabin living and endeavoring to make a difference in the world simply one step at a time. We're every age and we often get excited viewing new products that come out during happy hour on Friday evenings! 
We'd love to have you join us!
Sign up below and don't forget to follow us on your favorite social media channel.

click here to learn more about us today!

Sign up below to be added to the blog newsletter.

#woodlovers
#woodart