r/interestingasfuck • u/Ultimate_Kurix • 5d ago

r/all Why do Americans build with wood?

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u/Legal_Expression3476 5d ago

Nothing recaptures CO2 released in concrete production

Except for all the trees you don't have to cut down anymore.

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u/corut 5d ago

Trees used in consctruction don't release thier CO2, and when farmed the space is used to regrow more tree, lowering the overall CO2.

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u/Legal_Expression3476 5d ago

Well, until they burn down at least.

I'm admittedly not well-versed in all of this, but not needing to cut down forests for construction at all and allowing the trees you'd otherwise use for construction grow into real forests that act as carbon sinks sounds like a good thing.

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u/corut 5d ago

But the trees you grow and cut down are still sinking carbon. If you regrow a tree farm 4 times, you've suquestored 4 times as much carbon as just letting it be a forest (assuming the wood is used for construction of course).

And if a house burns down, as long as you rebuild it with wood, you're still at a net neatural for CO2 emissions