Save My Forest

With now nearly 7 billion people on the planet, we are seeing ever-increasing impact of man’s activities on the natural environment (land, water, air and the populations of plants and animals that live in or on them).



Timber has been used by man for an enormous variety of purposes since pre-historic times, particularly in the construction of shelter and for artefacts used in day-to-day life. Forests cover 30% of the earths surface. Trees have been called "fountains of the earth" (Durrell 1993).



Today, timber and wood-based products continue to be used in construction, often in conjunction with other, man-made materials (metals, concrete, plastics). Wood is truly renewable in a relatively short time frame and can also be recycled through a succession of uses before returning to its constituent elements of carbon, water and energy.



Wood plays a major role in combating climate change. Greater use of wood products will stimulate the expansion of Europe's forests and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by substituting for fossil fuel intensive products."



• Wood products act as a carbon sink throughout their life

• Wood has the lowest energy consumption and the lowest CO2 emission of any commonly used building material

• Wood’s thermal insulation properties mean timber frame houses use less energy

• Wood is uniquely renewable

• Using wood products encourages forestry to expand, increasing the carbon sink effect and reducing the CO2
in the atmosphere

• Wood is created by photosynthesis and can be considered an efficient way of storing solar energy

• Recovering the energy from wood products at the end of their life - as a substitute for fossil fuels - increases the CO2 benefit of using wood.

Solar architecture and timber construction:


All over Europe, one particular type of detached house is becoming increasingly popular. We are talking about
wooden houses featuring large glazed surfaces facing the sunny south and well insulated walls with small windows on the cold northern side to protect against heat loss. This new low-energy building technique is without a doubt Solar Architecture as it uses the free energy of the sun in various ways.



Over 8000 tree species, 10% of the world’s total, are threatened with extinction. Like all resources, the forests which produce timber need careful management if they are to continue to supply the increasing demands placed upon them. Fortunately, there are now many organisations dedicated to educating the public as to good forest management.