New Online Calculator Estimates Carbon Benefits of Wood Buildings

New York—Wood Works, a cooperative venture of major North American wood associations, launched an online tool that estimates the carbon benefits of wood buildings. The carbon calculator estimates the amount of carbon stored in a building’s wood products (which was absorbed by the trees while growing) and the greenhouse gas emissions avoided by not using steel or concrete.

The new WoodWorks tool allows users to calculate the carbon benefits of wood buildings in one of two ways:

• If wood product information is known (such as the volume of lumber, panels, engineered wood products, decking, siding and roofing), the carbon calculator will provide a detailed estimate related to that specific building. The more detailed the information, the better the results.
• If product information is unknown, users can select from a list of common building types and receive an estimate based on typical wood use.