How to Calculate the Wood Carbon Footprint of a Building

From an environmental perspective, it is widely known that buildings matter. Buildings consume nearly half the energy produced in the United States, use three-quarters of the electricity and account for nearly half of all carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. This course explains the principal methods and tools that are used to assess carbon footprint in the context of building materials. It includes a primer on product terminology, including life cycle assessment (LCA), environmental product declarations (EPDs), carbon footprint, embodied carbon, and whole building LCA (WBLCA) tools. It also highlights ways to track and assure wood comes from sustainable forests in North America and why demand for wood products supports investment in forest management.