Wood is the ideal material to achieve sustainable development and will play a major role in solving the environmental issues of the future.
A material which is "green" in every sense of the word: unlike fossil fuels, which are being depleted, wood is a renewable raw material
A material with a limited impact: unlike concrete or steel, wood is a building material that does not consume much energy
A recyclable material: wood is a material that can be reused or recycled without causing any environmental damage, unlike other conventional building materials.
A material that consumes carbon: wood is unique in that its use can help combat greenhouse gases.
Some home truths about wood
A sustainable resource
In France, 80% of the wood consumed comes from domestic forests, which are continually expanding. 65% of French wood is used in the building industry, for both exteriors and interiors.
Excellent resistance to fire
Wood is highly fire-resistant. It conducts heat 10 times more slowly than concrete and 250 times more slowly than steel.
Treated wood = Outstanding durability
Treatment techniques can be applied to protect wood efficiently and durably in an environmentally-friendly manner.
A versatile material
Wood is exceptionally versatile, suited for structural applications (framework), exterior applications (facing, terraces, fencing, etc.) and interiors (parquet flooring, wall panelling, furniture and fittings
Wooden houses: clean, healthy, ecological and economical
Wood is a building material that combines an attractive appearance and a life style, while meeting economic and site constraints.
Thanks to the speed of construction, savings can be made from the very outset. In the long term, wooden houses can comfortably cut heating costs by 20%.
Wooden houses are 5 times lighter than brickwork houses
The Landes forest
The consumption of forest products is going to increase worldwide, as a direct result of economic and demographic growth, and given this material's decisive role in conserving the environment. The 750,000-hectare Landes de Gascogne forest is the first forest to be certified for its sustainable management. This local resource supports an entire economy: the Landes de Gascogne forest is cultivated for wood by a multi-faceted industry representing nearly 30,000 jobs in Aquitaine, from forestry to the trades involved in processing. In transforming harvested wood into products, the carbon footprint is minimised during the manufacturing processes.
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 The Aquitaine woodlands: the largest contiguous single-species coniferous forest in Europe (covering approximately 1.5 million hectares, including 1 million hectares of "cultivated" maritime pines).
Sales figure (annual average) for wood from the forest: €200m
The Aquitaine region represents one fourth of France's lumber production
In addition to the forestry companies, the region's timber production supports a major industry: sawmill, paper products, plywood, wood flooring and panelling, decoration products, packaging, construction. |
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The wood industry in Aquitaine:
2.6 billion euros in sales
35,000 direct jobs
40,000 foresters (with surface areas of over 4 hectares)
