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Life Cycle Analysis is an internationally recognized method of examining the total environmental burden associated with a product and its use. The process provides an assessment of the environmental inputs and outputs of a product, beginning with the extraction of the resource and continuing through the manufacturing and associated energy consumption, distribution, use, disposal, recyclability and renewability of the resource. This concept is often referred to as a “cradle-to-grave” assessment.
The use of any raw material affects the environment. How to determine which raw material is preferable and why it is preferable lies at the heart of determining how to create sustainable environments. The least environmentally damaging systems will benefit society through less pollution, minimal residual waste in the production process and reduced energy consumption. This reduces potential environmental impacts that may occur during resource extraction, manufacturing, transportation and possibly, recycling.
Stage 1 is the extraction process. Critics of the wood products industry base many of their arguments on the extraction phase of wood (logging): Timber harvesting is an extremely visible process. Plastic is a byproduct of the oil industry, and many of our nation's oil reserves are located in environmentally sensitive areas (Alaska's North Slope and the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Santa Barbara, Calif., to name a few). Contaminated water, oil, greases, heavy metals and toxic materials are a few of the side effects of oil drilling. Aluminum, steel and coal extracted through open pit and underground mining results in problems of solid waste, stream sedimentation, high costs in site rehabilitation and high acid content in what remains after capturing the desired raw material.
Stage 2 is manufacturing, which contributes the greatest amount of pollutants. Solids, oil and high acid content are major pollutants in the cement industry. Larger volumes of carbon via fossil fuel burning (coal), particulate matter, sulfur oxides, hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide are created for all of the raw materials when compared to wood manufacturing.
Transportation is next. Generally, nonrenewable resources are transported longer distances than wood (higher energy costs/more pollution) from their point of extraction to arriving at the manufacturing site. Mills for trees grown in Oregon tend to be located in the state. Coal, aluminum and iron ore are often shipped hundreds of miles to a central processing facility.
Disposal/recycling constitute stage 4 and 5 of Life Cycle Analysis. Landfills contain a far greater percentage of materials manufactured from nonrenewable resources versus those manufactured from wood. Recycling nonrenewable resources requires substantially more energy/pollutants than recycling wood fiber. And remember: Wood is our only renewable resource, a point sometimes ignored or forgotten.
Time and space do not allow a complete analysis of wood versus nonrenewable resources. The important thing to remember is to look at the whole picture when discussing the environmental impacts of any raw material utilization. If so, a person might ascribe to the message found on, amongst other places, bumper stickers in the 1970s: Wood is Good.
Steve Bowers is a forester for OSU Extension Service in Douglas County and will be teaching a class on this subject at Tree School Umpqua (http://extension.oregonstate.edu/douglas/treeschool) in March. He can be reached by e-mail at steve.bowers@oregonstate.edu or by phone at 541-672-4461.
The use of any raw material affects the environment. How to determine which raw material is preferable and why it is preferable lies at the heart of determining how to create sustainable environments. The least environmentally damaging systems will benefit society through less pollution, minimal residual waste in the production process and reduced energy consumption. This reduces potential environmental impacts that may occur during resource extraction, manufacturing, transportation and possibly, recycling.
Stage 1 is the extraction process. Critics of the wood products industry base many of their arguments on the extraction phase of wood (logging): Timber harvesting is an extremely visible process. Plastic is a byproduct of the oil industry, and many of our nation's oil reserves are located in environmentally sensitive areas (Alaska's North Slope and the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Santa Barbara, Calif., to name a few). Contaminated water, oil, greases, heavy metals and toxic materials are a few of the side effects of oil drilling. Aluminum, steel and coal extracted through open pit and underground mining results in problems of solid waste, stream sedimentation, high costs in site rehabilitation and high acid content in what remains after capturing the desired raw material.
Stage 2 is manufacturing, which contributes the greatest amount of pollutants. Solids, oil and high acid content are major pollutants in the cement industry. Larger volumes of carbon via fossil fuel burning (coal), particulate matter, sulfur oxides, hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide are created for all of the raw materials when compared to wood manufacturing.
Transportation is next. Generally, nonrenewable resources are transported longer distances than wood (higher energy costs/more pollution) from their point of extraction to arriving at the manufacturing site. Mills for trees grown in Oregon tend to be located in the state. Coal, aluminum and iron ore are often shipped hundreds of miles to a central processing facility.
Disposal/recycling constitute stage 4 and 5 of Life Cycle Analysis. Landfills contain a far greater percentage of materials manufactured from nonrenewable resources versus those manufactured from wood. Recycling nonrenewable resources requires substantially more energy/pollutants than recycling wood fiber. And remember: Wood is our only renewable resource, a point sometimes ignored or forgotten.
Time and space do not allow a complete analysis of wood versus nonrenewable resources. The important thing to remember is to look at the whole picture when discussing the environmental impacts of any raw material utilization. If so, a person might ascribe to the message found on, amongst other places, bumper stickers in the 1970s: Wood is Good.
Steve Bowers is a forester for OSU Extension Service in Douglas County and will be teaching a class on this subject at Tree School Umpqua (http://extension.oregonstate.edu/douglas/treeschool) in March. He can be reached by e-mail at steve.bowers@oregonstate.edu or by phone at 541-672-4461.
