Can alternatives such as steel replace wood products from native forests?
It has been suggested that “environmentally friendly” alternatives such as steel, cement and plastic can be used as building products rather than structural timber. The fact is that wood is made from solar energy and requires only this to produce a natural and renewable resource. The so-called alternatives require far more energy (use of fossil fuels) to produce a man-made, non renewable product. The production of these alternatives results in large emmissions of carbon dioxide thus contributing to climate change. A study by the American Academy of Science found that timber is the most energy efficient building material.
