AWC Applauds Rep. Westerman’s Trillion Trees Bill

American Wood Council (“AWC”) President & CEO Robert Glowinski released the following statement regarding Congressman Bruce Westerman’s Trillion Trees bill, which recognizes the potential of sustainable building materials in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

“The building industry is poised to add 2.48 trillion square feet of new construction worldwide by 2060, doubling the amount of buildings we currently have on the planet. This is equivalent to constructing New York City every month for the next 40 years.

“As governments and the private sector seek to improve the environmental performance of buildings and reduce their carbon footprint, there is growing recognition that using wood from responsibly managed forests, which are manufactured utilizing carbon neutral biomass, is a part of the solution. Wood is the go-to material for builders in the United States for good reason. Wood products have the greatest embodied carbon potential, are easy to build with, and are the only major building material that is renewable.

“AWC thanks Congressman Westerman for his recognition in the bill that strong markets for wood products give landowners incentive to keep lands forested, thereby avoiding encroachment of development.”

Background: According to data from the United Nations Environment – Global Status Report 2018, the building sector is responsible for a full 39 percent of global energy-related carbon emissions. While the majority of these emissions (approximately 28 percent) arise from the day-to-day operations of existing buildings, the other 11 percent comes directly from construction of new buildings.

Source: American Wood Council