Did you know that the volume of American hardwood species is such that when “architects, designers and manufacturers specify American hardwoods for their creative projects, the wood that’s used is replaced, through natural regrowth, within a matter of mere seconds?” Here’s how we know.
Grown in Seconds at www.growninseconds.org, showcases nine creative, American hardwood projects, and includes information on how quickly the hardwood used in the projects would naturally grow in the forest. This sustainability information is derived from data gathered by the U.S. Forest Service Inventory and Analysis program, which tracks the rate of growth and harvest of every American species.
One of the projects, a cocoon-like workplace called, Getting Away From It All, was constructed from American cherry and steam bent American red oak.
- “Each year 8.6 million m3 of cherry and 51.9 million m3 of red oak grow across the American forests. In contrast, only 3.5 million m3 of cherry and 32.4 million m3 of red oak are actually harvested. This vast availability, but underutilization, means that it takes less than five seconds for the American forests to grow the amount of red oak and cherry used in Getting Away From It All.
- The American hardwood in the whole structure absorbed and stores 317 kg CO2 and has a cradle-to-site carbon footprint of just 248kg CO2 equivalent.”
Grown in Seconds, developed by the American Hardwood Export Council, illustrates the environmental benefits of using American Hardwoods in design and manufacture. To view the other projects included in the campaign, visit www.growninseconds.org.
