Feasibility study on carbon storage in buildings and wood products

The Government's program sets the goal of increasing carbon sinks and storage in Finland. One way to increase carbon stocks is to increase the use of wood in construction and other structures. Although wood construction has a long tradition in Finland, it is possible to further increase the use of wood in both new buildings and reconstruction.

The amount of carbon stored to the building stock and long-lived wood products can be assessed in a number of ways. On the other hand, tools are needed in design or manufacturing stage to assess carbon storage and footprint.

The aim of the feasibility study is to:

- identify, evaluate and compare national and international approaches, methods and methodologies used and applicable to the assessment of carbon stocks of long-lived wood products.

- compile proposals for the necessary follow-up actions.

The work is limited to assessment methods and calculation models for long-lasting wood products, ie buildings, structures, furniture and other structures such as wooden bridges or piles. The review shall include tools, calculation models and databases used to estimate the amount of carbon sequestered in the existing building stock, as well as design tools to estimate the carbon stocks of new wooden buildings or other uses of timber. On the basis of the feasibility study, it will be assessed whether it is necessary to continue the study, for example, in order to further develop the national evaluation method.

The feasibility study will be prepared by the Natural Resources Institute Finland and the Finnish Environment Institute. The work implements both the climate action package for the land use sector and the action plan for wood construction.