The Various Environmental Advantages of Timber Salvaging
Posted on: 27 March 2017
Timber is one of the oldest and most widely used building materials in the Australian construction industry today. Because of this, it usually accounts for a significant percentage of the waste generated in many construction and demolition sites located across the country. The good news, however, is that uncontaminated wood waste can be salvaged and re-used for other purposes. Timber salvaging is a process that offers a lot of important benefits for the environment. Read on to get acquainted with some of the great environmental benefits associated with salvaging of timber.
Less solid waste going to the ground
As land is a resource that is fixed in supply, it is vital to save it for more productive use. Land that has been turned into landfill is of no productive use and may be difficult to reclaim later on. By salvaging timber from construction and demolition sites, you reduce the amount of solid waste that ends up in landfills, thus conserving land.
Protection of vital tree resources
Trees are the raw material used to manufacture timber products. The higher the demand for new timber products, the greater the number of trees that have to be felled in order to meet the new demand. As trees have a big part to play in ensuring ecological balance, it is important to ensure they are protected. Salvaging is a great way to reduce the need to cut down more trees required for the manufacture of new timber products. The salvaged timber is simply re-used without necessarily calling for a fresh supply of wood.
Less energy is used up
Cutting down trees for large-scale industrial purposes means having heavy machinery on the ground. These machines run on fuel, such as petrol and diesel, which are mined from the environment and processed in oil refineries. As timber salvaging reduces the need to fell trees, it also reduces the need to operate heavy machines, such as feller bunchers. This, in turn, helps conserve Earth's vital reserve of energy.
Less gas emissions
Last but not least, timber salvaging is also an effective way to reduce harmful gas emissions that occur when new timber products are being manufactured. These include the exhaust gases that are released at the tree harvesting sites by the heavy equipment and the harmful gases discharged during the processing stage, from the initial rough sawing to the final finishing. Re-purposing salvaged timber requires only a small fraction of the energy used to manufacture new timber products.
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