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Why Timber Frame Construction is better for the environment than conventional construction

bullet Wood is Green
bullet Wood is a renewable resource, and we use timbers harvested only from sustainable forests.
bullet The amount of forested land in North America is steadily increasing.  The main reason is simple economics: there is a demand for wood, so we keep growing more.
bullet Forested land fights global warming!  Trees absorb carbon dioxide, the principal greenhouse gas
bullet Not only do we obtain our timber from sustainable foresters who replace the trees they harvest, NLTF replants trees too!  Through a partnership with the National Arbor Day Foundation, Northern Lights Timber Framing plants a new tree for every tree we use in our timber frames.  These trees are planted all around the country, in areas with the greatest need, such as areas recently damaged by forest fires.  We've already replanted well over 1000 trees!

 

bullet SIPs are Energy Efficient
bullet Most Timber Frame homes are enclosed with Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs).   The SIPs are installed outside of the Timber Frame.  The frame supports the structure from the inside, thus no studs are needed in the SIP walls.  This creates an unbroken blanket of insulation around the entire building for superior energy efficiency. 
bullet A 6" SIP panel wall provides a "whole wall" R value of R24.  A 2x6 stick frame wall with typically installed fiberglass insulation provides only R11.  (Source: Oak Ridge National Laboratory)
bullet While SIPs do consume fossil fuels in their manufacture, this is greatly outweighed by the reduction in fossil fuel consumption required to heat and cool the home over it's lifetime.

 

bullet Timber Framing is better than stick framing
bullet Timber Frame construction uses a similar amount of wood as stick frame construction.  Compare a stick frame wall using a 2x6 stud every 16 inches vs a 10x10 post every 14 feet.  In fact, timber frames often use less wood overall. 
bullet Stick frame construction is often referred to as "disposable housing".  Conventional builders are required to meet building codes, but there is no financial incentive for them to do any better.  In fact, there's a disincentive, as they will appear to be more expensive than their competitors.  But building codes primarily address safety, not longevity. 
bullet Sustainability requires Durability.  Timber Frame homes are designed to last for generations.  So even if a similar amount of material is used in two styles of construction, the one that lasts many times longer is clearly superior.  
bullet Stick frame lumber generates more waste during milling.  Both timbers and 2x6 studs are planed down 1/2" from their rough sawn dimensions.  But because a single timber replaces so many studs, 3 times more waste is generated by planing the smaller studs.
bullet Stick frame lumber is kiln dried, which consumes even more energy.  In timber frame construction, green (undried) timbers are usually used.
bullet Sometimes buildings are torn down even if they're still structurally sound.  Build something that's too special to destroy!

 

bullet Even  Greener
bulletThere are more options to make timber framing even greener!  One is to use reclaimed timbers.  These are timbers that have been salvaged from old factories and warehouses built a century or more ago.  Geothermal and solar energy are also great complimentary technologies to SIP-enclosed buildings.