Wood Flooring - The Renewable Flooring Material

What makes wood flooring the environmentally friendly flooring option?

Did you know...

to grow one pound of wood, a tree uses 1.47 pounds of carbon dioxide and gives off 1.07 pounds of oxygen. Consequently, an acre of trees can remove about 13 tons of dust and gases from the atmosphere. However, once a tree stops growing and begins to decay, the process reverses. For every pound of wood that decays, the tree uses 1.07 pounds of oxygen and releases 1.47 pounds of carbon dioxide into the air.

When harvested at maturity, hardwood lumber not only decreases the amount of carbon emitted into the environment but also provides a durable and beautiful flooring material that the National Association of Home Builders notes will last 50+ years in a home.

Hardwood forests in the United States are healthier today than they were 50 years ago due to single-tree harvesting methods. By mirroring natural occurences, single tree selection is a long-established form of biomimicry that supports natural forest regeneration. Hardwood forests regenerate naturally and prolifically when sustainable forestry practices are utilized making tree planting unnecessary. These practices have been the predominant form of harvesting for many years which is why the supply of American hardwoods is nearly double what it was in 1950. Each year the amount of hardwood grown in American forests far surpasses the amount that is harvested.

Taking all these factors into account its easy to see why real wood flooring is the natural choice for environmentally friendly flooring products.

For more information on the sustainability of American hardwood lumber please visit the American Hardwood Information Center.