Wood itself has a small environmental load
Wood (woodwork and wood products) uses very little energy during manufacturing compared to other materials such as iron, aluminum, and plastic, and unlike these products, the resources themselves can be reproduced.
In addition, it is a material with low environmental impact that can be processed and recycled into wood chips and fibers even after it is no longer used.
In addition, wood can be decomposed by the action of microorganisms, so it can be returned to the soil.
Furthermore, since woodwork and wood products can be repeatedly maintained and used for a long period of time, it can be said that the burden on the environment is also suppressed in terms of suppressing the emission of carbon stored in wood.
On the other hand, the transportation of timber has a large environmental load
However, since a large amount of fossil fuel is used for the transportation of timber, the environmental load increases as the amount of imports from overseas and the transportation distance increase.
Imported timber, which accounts for about 70% of Japan's current timber supply, burns a large amount of fossil fuels and is transported to Japan while releasing greenhouse gases.
In terms of numerical values, Japan is procuring wood from other countries with an environmental load of about 5 times that of the United States and 22 times that of Germany. ..
Again, Japan has abundant forest resources, and the fact that they are left unattended is a problem.
The idea of wood mileage and wood miles was born as an index that numerically captures such contradictions and expresses the environmental load of timber transportation.
What is Wood Mileage and Wood Miles
Wood mileage is a numerical value of the environmental load during transportation by multiplying the transportation volume and transportation distance of wood. Wood miles is the transportation distance from the production area to the consumption area of wood, and is calculated by "wood mileage = transportation volume of wood (m3) x wood miles ( km )".
From this point of view, it is possible to dramatically reduce the environmental load by procuring wood from a closer location. Naturally, it is desirable to produce woodwork and wood products using domestic or local timber in a nearby location.
This concept was influenced by the food mile advocated by British consumer activist Tim Lang, a professor of food policy at the University of City, in 1994 . It was born after the essay "Wood Miles" (total transportation distance of timber) and housing using local timber was published by Mr. Takashi Fujiwara, who was a director of the institute.
Significance of producing wood products / wood products using domestic wood
In terms of the use of timber, which is important to cut, plant and grow, and to repeat it in an appropriate amount globally, and to maintain the forest environment, forests are second only to Finland and Sweden in developed countries. It can be said that the use of wood from Japan, which is a major country, is a very important action for improving the current global environment.
And the reason why domestic timber is not used is that cheap imported timber is used, and the aging and decrease of forestry workers.
Regarding this issue, in addition to expanding the use of domestic timber, it is necessary to provide financial and human support to those involved in forest conservation activities in Japan on a daily basis.
InHAND in HAND , in addition to donating a part of the profits to forest conservation activities, we will also actively participate in volunteer activities.
HAND in HAND Domestic woodwork / The consumption experience of wood products contributes to the utilization of domestic timber and wood that has a positive impact on the environment, and to forest conservation activities. can.
I hope that each person's small actions will become a big flow and the global environment, which is important to us, will improve.
