Wooden floors as CO2 stock

Trees absorb CO2 during their growth. The carbon from the CO2 molecules is used e.g. to build up the trunk and the branches of the tree. In this way large amounts of CO2 are bound in the trees and continue to be bound after the trees are felled. CO2 is only released by burning or natural degradation including composting of the trees. Thus, wood is completely CO2 neutral “from cradle to grave” as absorption and release are exactly the same.

A wooden floor is thus a stock of CO2! By using wood in building projects we can keep the CO2 gas away from the atmosphere and thus contribute to counteract CO2 induced climatic changes. A solid wooden floor from Junckers typically has a lifespan of 3040 years and during this period the stored CO2 has no impact on the atmosphere. CO2 from a floor laid in 2009 will not be released again until about 2050 – that gives one food for thought, doesn’t it?