Green possibilities in a green industrial sector: The lumber industry

Abstract

AbstractIndustries have gone on far too long escaping the eyes of the general public on matters of sustainability and global environmental “greening”. The lumber industry itself has gone on for hundreds of years without any indication of environmental consciousness, even with their main resource at a slow decline. From early human civilization to the present modern age, wood has been a longstanding staple as a natural resource and a symbol of environmental awareness. With the consumer public becoming more aware and conscious of worldwide concerns such as climate change, greenhouse gases, and other environmental issues, businesses are being condemned for their lack of initiative in preserving the global ecosystem for future generations. While the lumber industry is one such corporation, generations of wood technologies have contributed to the growing environmental effort of the business. From simply recycling wood scraps as fuel to processing wood composite boards for a myriad of different applications, these advancements to wood products and lumber processing have contributed exorbitant amounts of careful planning in order to construct a more sustainable, environmentally “green” industry.