Timber Policy - Understanding low carbon policies for timber construction

Understanding low carbon policies for timber construction

by Waugh Thistleton Architects

TIMBER POLICY

Understanding low carbon policies for timber construction

FOREWORD

Timber has a major role to play in decarbonising construction. A low carbon, natural, renewable material, timber is at the heart of transitioning to a sustainable, circular economy. It can create a built environment that works in harmony with, rather than opposition to, our natural world.

This is because timber can sequester carbon in forests; store carbon in harvested wood products; replace carbon-intensive materials such as steel, concrete and plastic; drive sustainable forest management; and contribute to a circular economy, as wood products can be reused, recycled and recovered for low carbon energy at the end of a building’s life.

Key to unlocking the potential of timber will be a supporting policy framework that places value on low carbon construction. More specifically, on reducing the carbon emitted during construction – known as embodied carbon – and on increasing the carbon stored in our buildings.

Over the past five to ten years, concepts such as embodied carbon have managed to escape from the realm of academic papers and become widely recognised by major policy influencers such as the United Nations, Royal Society and World Green Building Council, and in the UK by the likes of the Climate Change Committee and Environmental Audit Committee.

Despite a wide array of evidence and calls from these bodies to implement key policies, such as the regulation of embodied carbon, there has been a highly variable policy approach across the world. And the UK, once a leader in sustainable timber construction, now lags behind many other nations, hampered by its unfriendly regulatory environment.

However, this is set to change with the Government’s Timber in Construction Policy Roadmap, published in December 2023. For the first time, there is clear acknowledgement from Westminster of timber's crucial role in decarbonising construction. We are immensely proud to have helped shape that important document. But far more must be done.

The Roadmap sets out an ambition for timber in the UK, but it does not show exactly how this will be achieved. With this book, Timber Policy, we outline how six different countries around the world are helping to support the transition to low carbon construction. It should provide inspiration for policy makers in the UK.

This is the second in a trio of essential books. The first one, Timber Typologies, provides clarity on different timber systems. The final book in the series, Timber LCA, will demystify lifetime carbon analysis for timber buildings.

Collectively, these books are intended to act as a stimulus for action – in the UK, and beyond. Transforming our built environment requires global co-operation, along with the sharing of ideas and talent. We hope it inspires all those who read it. Only by acting now can we prevent climate disaster.

WHAT IS THIS BOOK ABOUT?

According to the International Energy Agency, the built environment generates 40% of annual global CO 2 -equivalent emissions. If countries are to have any chance of meeting carbon reduction targets, action needs to be taken from within the construction sector. While attention and regulation to date has been primarily focused on reducing the energy required by a building while in use, or operational carbon, the embodied carbon caused by the construction and maintenance of buildings has been largely omitted from policy and regulation.

The tide is changing however, with countries beginning to tackle the complex issue of regulating embodied carbon. Circularity and the use of biobased materials are two key strategies that can be used to achieve a reduction in embodied carbon in construction.

Timber is one of the most popular structural materials in the world. Over 70% of the developed world live in timber frame homes and the development of high performance engineered timber over the last 30 years, such as cross laminated timber (CLT), glue laminated timber (GLT) and laminated veneer lumber (LVL), offers viable and preferable

alternatives to large concrete and steel buildings, allowing timber to be used for larger buildings. However, within the UK, the demand for timber buildings is more variable. While more than three quarters of new homes in Scotland are timber frame, in England timber represents as little as 9% of new build homes. In the face of the imminent climate challenge, timber construction offers a viable, and scalable solution for decarbonising the UK construction industry.

Timber systems offer many advantages over conventional construction methods:

– Trees are replenishable and carbon is sequestered as the tree grows.

– Engineered timber has low embodied carbon.

– High carbon materials such as concrete and steel are displaced, mitigating their associated emissions.

– By reducing the weight of the superstructure and therefore the size of foundations, less material is used and fewer emissions released. –

They are quick to build, reducing time on site, and provides a safer environment for construction workers.

However, despite the benefits there remain a number of barriers that hinder a wider uptake of timber as a construction material:

– Cultural/social barriers - A lack of knowledge is exacerbated by a lack of collaboration across public and private sectors, stakeholders, and politicians.

– Regulatory barriers – Restrictive bureaucracy and outdated legislation inhibit the use of safe timber systems and create a lack of impetus for the industry to change.

– Technological barriers – Mechanisms used to evaluate the sustainability of construction are derived from traditional construction methods

Engineered timber construction on the Black & White Building, London. Image: The Office Group

and have not evolved to consider the additional benefits offered by biobased materials. The use of replenishable, biobased materials can therefore be disincentivised.

– Financial barriers – A lack of investment in establishing a new biobased supply chain.

But there is hope. Across the world, countries are making significant progress in the promotion and incentivisation of timber and biobased, replenishable materials within construction. In January 2024, the EU launched the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, a provisional agreement to reduce the emissions and energy use of buildings across the union, including embodied carbon emissions.

In this book we provide an overview of some of the policy and regulatory mechanisms that are being used. It is by no means an exhaustive study of global policy, but is intended to capture a ‘moment in time’ by giving a glimpse into this ever shifting topic to encourage further reading, investigation and ultimately greater policy change.

5.

6.

What is this book

Six countries - Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, France, Finland, and USA - are used as examples of how policies have been used to increase the use of timber in construction.

Throughout this book, case study policies are categorised accordingly:

Carbon policy

Publicly funded timber building

Financial incentives

Advocacy

Regulation change

Map showing countries globally with pro-timber policies

1 CASE STUDIES

1.1 GERMANY

349,390 km²

M2

Land area

Source: worldbank.org

2045

Climate neutrality target year

Source: Klimaschutzgesetz

32.7% (114,250 km2)

% of land area covered by forests

Source: worldbank.org

84 million m3

Roundwood production

Source: eurostat (2021)

21.3% (27,554)

% timber residential buildings

Source: Statistisches Bundesamt (2021)

Key findings

Financial incentives are provided for low carbon construction at local level.

Multiple publicly funded timber construction projects.

Advocacy for building in timber.

Climate policy

Germany has set a country emissions reduction target of at least 65% by 2030 and at least 88% by 2040, compared to 1990 levels. It aims to achieve climate neutrality by 2045 and negative greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. These goals are expanded in the German Climate Action Programme 2030 and the Climate Protection Law (Klimaschutzgesetz)

The German Federal Government has defined binding emission targets for land use, industry, transport and construction.

Forestry and industry

Germany is one of the most densely forested countries in Europe, with around one third of its territory covered by forest: primarily mixed forests with an area share of 76%. The majority of the forestry industry is located in Bavaria, followed by Baden-Württemberg, Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia (Statista 2019). Every year 76 million m 3 of wood are harvested, and 122 million m 3 grow back. Around 2.5 billion tonnes of carbon are bound in wood and soil. German forests relieve the atmosphere of 127 million tonnes of CO2 every year. This figure corresponds to 14% of all German greenhouse gas emissions.

Germany’s forest and timber industry (including processing and pulp, printing and publishing) accounts for nearly 1.3 million jobs and has an annual turnover of about €170 billion.

National pro-timber policies

The German government does not advocate any specific building material, but promotes wood as a climate and environmentally friendly resource through programmes and projects, awareness raising and the provision of consumer information.

The German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture has published the Charter for Wood 2.0 (Charta fur Holz 2.0), which advocates for the sustainable use of wood from managed forests as a means of meeting the country’s climate change targets

A subcomponent of this document, ‘Using wood in urban and rural construction’, aims to:

– Increase the share of wooden buildings in the various building categories. –

Increase the use of wood in building renovations.

– Curb prejudice against wood in key regulations and guidelines.

– Increase consideration of the climate impact of strategies, programmes, manuals and guidelines for the construction sector (Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, 2018).

This document comprises political statements in favour of the use of timber but this is not underpinned by support measures.

In November 2020, the Energy Conservation Act (EnEG), the Energy Conservation Ordinance (EnEV) and the Renewable Energies Heat Act (EEWärmeG) were merged into one law: the Building Energy Act (GEG) (Gebäudeenergiegesetz GEG), a single, coordinated body of legislation regulating energy performance of new construction, existing building stock and the use of renewable energy for heating and cooling buildings. The GEG does not take into account embodied carbon, but focuses exclusively on operational energy.

Since March 2023, the Climate-Friendly New Construction (KFN) (Neues Förderprogramm für Klimafreundlichen Neubau) subsidy programme has taken into account the entire life cycle of a building. Funding for the programme was temporarily suspended due to oversubscription. Between March and December 2023, over 18,000 commitments were made for around 46,000 residential units under the programme, with up to €150,000 in funding loans being granted.

In total, the state owned KfW banking group has promised development loans and grants amounting to around €7.5 billion through the KFN funding, triggering total investments of around €17 billion.

Local pro-timber policies

In Germany, pro-timber programmes are mainly driven at regional/state level and can be found in Hamburg, Bayern (Munich), Baden Württenberg (Freiburg and Heilbronn). Other regions/states are planning or beginning to implement policy and financial incentive programmes. Here are a few examples:

of best practice for other urban development projects in Munich

In the region of Baden Wuttenberrg, the state government is promoting climatefriendly wood construction through The Timber Construction Campaign (Holzbauoffensive). The project includes targeted measures to stimulate sustainable construction. The goal is to establish Baden-Württemberg as a leader in climate-friendly building practices. In Heilbronn, as part of a new residential quarter, Skaio Germany’s tallest wooden structure was built for the Federal Garden Show 2019 (Bundesgartenschau). This 34-metre, 10-storey residential development houses 60 apartments and is a flagship project (Leuchtturmprojekt) that promotes research and development, to increase confidence in mass timber low carbon construction.

In Hamburg, the Modernisation of nonresidential buildings programme (Bundesförderung für effiziente Gebäude –Nichtwohngebäude) provides a subsidy of 0.80€/kg of wood used in the construction of new, nonresidential buildings. Since the adoption of the climate plan in 2019, every new construction project must examine the viability of using timber. The state Schleswig Holstein initiated a timber construction prize with the objective of promoting the use of timber within construction .

In Munich, the pilot project Prinz-Eugen-Park, with 566 apartments, is currently the largest timber housing estate in Germany. Eight individual projects, ranging from timber hybrid to pure timber construction, were built on five sites within PrinzEugen-Park, representing a wide variety of housing types, timber construction methods and design variations. The project is supported by the city of Munich, who are providing a financial incentive of up to 2€/kg of renewable materials used in the construction. The city continues to promote sustainable urban development. The findings from the Prinz-Eugen-Park estate will serve as examples

On January 1st, 2020, the city of Freiburg introduced the Timber Construction Funding Programme (Förderprogramm Holzbau) to promote the use of renewable raw materials in the construction sector. Applications can be submitted for new wooden buildings with a minimum size of four residential units and also for extensions to residential units. The amount of the subsidy is 1€/kg of renewable, carbon-storing building material installed in the building over the long term, or €1.20 where the material is sourced within 400km from Freiberg. Timber must be FSC, PEFC, Naturland or equivalent certification

Further reading:

HILDEBRANDT, J., HAGEMANN, N., THRAN, D. (2017): The Contribution of Wood-based Construction Materials for Leveraging a Low Carbon Building Sector in Europe, Sustainable Cities and Society, 405-418

LUDWIG, G. (2019). The Role of Law in Transformative Environmental Policies - A Case Study of “Timber in Buildings Construction in Germany”

Skaio, Germany’s tallest wooden building. Image: Bernd Borchardt | Kaden+

1.2 THE NETHERLANDS

33,670 km2

Land area

Source: worldbank.org M2

2050

Target: -95% compared to 1990 levels

Source: NL Climate Act

11% (3,704 km2)

% of land area covered by forests

Source: worldbank.org

3 million m3

Roundwood production

Source: Eurostat.eu (2021)

3%

% timber residential buildings

Source: CBS (2020)

Key findings

Mandatory reporting of embodied carbon emissions for larger developments.

CO 2 taxation to heavily polluting industries, which will increase over time.

20% of housing must be mass timber in MRA (Metropolitan Region of Amsterdam).

Advocacy for low carbon materials and creating a circular economy. £

Climate policy

The Dutch government wants to reduce the Netherlands’ greenhouse gas emissions by 49% by 2030 as compared to 1990 levels, and achieve a 95% reduction by 2050. These goals were stipulated in the Dutch Climate Act (Klimaatwet) in 2019.

The Climate Plan, the National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) (Nationaal Energie- en Klimaatplan) and the Climate Agreement (Klimaatakkoord) contain the policy and measures to achieve these climate goals.

Forestry and industry

Timber production from Dutch forests is relatively stable: between 0.8 and 1 million m 3 annually accounting for around 10% of the country’s timber requirements (CBS, NL). The Netherlands imports most of its timber from within Europe, primarily Germany.

The timber industry has traditionally had a relatively modest presence in the Netherlands, with timber frame construction for residential buildings typically failing to exceed 3% of the market share annually (NIBE, 2019).

National pro-timber policies

The Dutch Building Act (Milieu Prestatie Gebouwen) was updated in January 2013 and requires embodied carbon emissions to be calculated and reported for all new residential and office buildings (both larger than 100m 2 ).

The building’s ‘Milieu Prestatie Gebouwen’s (MPG) value’ is calculated by completing a life cycle assessment (LCA) of all materials and products used in the building, and must be provided in order to obtain a building permit.

Standardisation is achieved through a nationally agreed assessment methodology and associated database of life cycle impacts. The National Environmental database (De Nationale Milieudatabase) lists LCA data for most available construction materials. Both the assessment methodology and the database are managed at a national level, ensuring consistency and certainty in data and reporting .

Since January 2018, all new offices and homes over 100m 2 must not only report their MPG but meet a specific MPG value. From 1st January 2021, this target has reduced by 20% with further reductions planned ensuring a sequential reduction towards zero.

As part of the Climate Agreement (Klimaatakkoord), a CO 2 tax, in addition to the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), has been applied to heavily polluting industries since 2021. The tax of 30€/tonne of CO 2 will increase over time, resulting in CO 2 intensive materials becoming more expensive to use: up to 30% for reinforced concrete and 115% for certain types of cement .

The country’s aim is to create a truly circular economy by 2050, with a focus on products and materials that can be re-used, recycled and ultimately disposed of in an environmentally sound way. The roadmap to the Circular Dutch economy by 2050 (Nederland circulair in 2050) was presented by the Dutch cabinet in 2019 and includes actions and projects to be implemented between 2019 and 2023 across sectors including construction.

Building on the foundations of the work done to date, the government has published the National Programme on Circular Economy 20232030 (Nationaal Programma Circulaire Economie 2023- 2030), which sets out four ways to make the Dutch economy circular as quickly as possible by:

Local pro-timber policies

The Metropolitan Region of Amsterdam (MRA) Green Deal Timber Construction’s (Metropoolregio Amsterdam (MRA) Green Deal Houtbouw) target is for 1 in 5 of new homes to be built in wood. From 2025, 20% of housing in the MRA will be built with wood and other biobased materials, resulting in an annual reduction of approximately 220,000 tonnes of CO 2 emissions. This is the aim of the Green Deal Timber Construction Covenant (Covenant Houtbouw MRA 2021-2025), which more than 80 organisations (including municipalities, project developers, investors, contractors, housing associations, architects and universities) signed in October 2021. The Green Deal brings together local government, academic institutions and private stakeholders to support the roll out of the Green Deal Timber Construction.

MRA’s action plan is based on four ‘pillars’:

1. To support large-scale production of timber-framed houses (MRA’s estimated annual housing shortage amounts to 80,000 units).

2. To support municipalities to have close agreements with builders, start-ups etc.

3. To develop production and assembly capacity in at least two MRA municipalities and use locally harvested timber and locally produced timber components.

4. To invest in mass timber pilot projects.

The MRA’s dedicated Timber Construction program team supports municipalities and provinces with information about the schemes available in the public sector to stimulate timber construction and biobased projects, with tailor-made legal advice and with special knowledge sessions, as well as courses and advice on ways in which to make timber construction more affordable and feasible.

Amsterdam aims to be a fully circular city by 2050. Knowledge of relevant laws and regulations are indispensable for a rapid transition to a circular economy. CircuLaw is a knowledge platform dedicated to enabling the transition to a circular economy by identifying opportunities in current law to support a circular future. CircuLaw aims to make relevant and innovative legal

information more accessible to policymakers so they may adequately support the circular transition through policy intervention. The purpose of CircuLaw is to accelerate the circular transition by identifying which laws and regulations exist, and how to apply them. In this way, CircuLaw wants to help policymakers in the Netherlands make more and better use of the opportunities offered by the existing system

Contributing factors for the National Circular Economy Programme 2023-2030 (NPCE)

Further reading:

Circle Economy & City of Amsterdam (ed.), (2020), The Amsterdam Circular 2020-2025 Strategy

https://www.rvo.nl/onderwerpen/wetten-enregels-gebouwen/milieuprestatie-gebouwenmpg

Bronsvoort, E., Veldboer, T., Slaa, A., Kaptein, T., (2020), Building a Future in Timber, Scenarios for Building with Biobased Materials

Located in the Metropolitan Region of Amsterdam, Hotel Jakarta (SeARCH Architects) utilises a mass timber structure.

Image: Waugh Thistleton Architects

1.3 DENMARK

40,000 km2

M2

Land area

Source: worldbank.org

2050

Climate neutrality target year

Source: DK Ministry of Foreign Affairs

15.7% (6,280 km2)

% of land area covered by forests

Source: worldbank.org

4.3 million m3

Roundwood production

Source: DK Ministry of Environment (2021)

8% (22,500)

% buildings built in timber

Source: Selman, Heiselberg, Gade (2021).

Key findings

Mandated embodied carbon targets and reporting.

Climate policy

The Danish Climate Act (Bekendtgørelse af lov om klima) sets a target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 70% by 2030, as compared to levels in 1990 - a very ambitious target - and to reach climate neutrality by 2050. The Act was amended in 2021 to include an emission reduction target for 2025 of 5054%.

Forestry and industry

With only 15.7% forest cover, Denmark uses much more wood than it produces. Approximately 4.3 million m 3 of timber logs are harvested every year, with the volume of wood in Danish forests growing by approximately 2.4 million m 3 net per year. 80% of the harvested logs are used domestically, with the remaining 20% exported. Before the war in Ukraine, timber and timber products were imported primarily from Sweden and Russia

National pro-timber policies

Denmark was the first country to introduce mandatory targets for the embodied carbon of new buildings.

As part of the National Strategy for Construction policy (National strategi for bæredygtigt byggeri) voluntary targets for C0 2 emissions relating to new builds were introduced in 2020, with mandatory targets implemented via building regulations from January 2023

All buildings larger than 1,000 m 2 for which permit applications were submitted after 1 January 2023, must meet a target/limit value of 12kg CO 2e/m 2/ year. A life cycle assessment (LCA) is required to calculate the environmental impact over a lifespan of 50 years. This must be submitted to the municipality along with the completion notification of the construction. Without the LCA calculation, occupancy permits for the building will be withheld.

The required LCA calculation includes A1-A3, B4, B6, C3, C4, thus it includes the production of building materials, energy consumption for operation and waste treatment of building materials at the end of their life. Calculations exclude external areas.

While there is no obligation to use a central database or calculation tool to complete the LCA, there is a freely available online programme that facilitates completion of the required LCA

From 2025, the rules will change again and a limit value for CO 2 will apply to all new construction, regardless of size. To date, the actual limit values from 2025 onwards have not been decided.

Currently submission requirements and targets relate to new builds only. Renovation or refurbishment projects do not have to report their climate impact.

Building regulations also include guidance on how to deal with special conditions, such as where a build requires increased materials or energy to prevent adverse outcomes from these CO 2 limits.

Further reading:

https://www.burohappold.com/news/howdenmark-leads-the-way-in-decarbonising-theconstruction-industry/#

Steinmann,J., Röck,M., Lützkendorf, T., Allacker, K., Le Den, X. (2022), Whole Life Carbon Models for the EU27 to Bring Down Embodied Carbon Emissions from New Buildings, Ramboll and KU Leuven

Selman, A., Heiselberg, H., Gade, A. (2021), Attitudes Towards Using Wood in the Danish Building Sector.

1.4 FRANCE

547,557 km2

M2

Land area

Source: worldbank.org

2050

Climate neutrality target year

Source: Ministère de la Transition écologique

31.5% (170,480 km2)

% of land area covered by forests

Source: worldbank.org

53 million m3

Roundwood production

Source: eurostat.eu (2021)

6.5% (23,000)

% buildings built in timber

Source: franceboisforet.fr)

Key findings

New public buildings to be built from >50% timber or other natural materials.

The forestry industry is investing in decarbonising the construction sector.

Climate policy

France set itself the goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40% compared to 1990 by 2030. A more ambitious plan to accelerate greenhouse gas cuts was unveiled in spring 2023 when the French government increased this to a 50% cut by 2030 and to completely eliminate greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Forestry and industry

France is home to Europe’s third largest forest; the volume of standing timber is estimated at 2.7 billion m 3 . More than 53 million m 3 of wood were harvested in 2021 alone. Forestry and wood sectors in France represent a turnover of €60 billion and 400,000 jobs: more than the automotive industry .

National pro-timber policies

In 2020, the French government announced plans for a law ensuring that all new public buildings are built using at least 50% timber or other natural materials. This law, Environmental Regulation 2020 (La Réglementation Environnementale 2020), was implemented in 2022 impacting the construction of all publicly financed buildings and becomes increasingly stringent in 2025, 2028 and 2031 to ensure emissions go down.

The law makes France the EU frontrunner in decarbonising buildings by mandating the environmental performance of buildings throughout their entire lifecycle, from procurement of raw materials to construction, throughout the buildings use and at ‘end-of-life.’

Having insisted that all new buildings under eight storeys and 60% of those above eight storeys commissioned for the 2020 Olympic games in Paris are built in wood (France Bois 2024), the French Minister for Agriculture and Food, J Denormandie, stated that there was no reason that this should not be possible for the wider construction sector.

In its Timber Construction Ambition Plan 2030 (Plan Ambition Bois-Construction 2030), the French wood construction industry put forward ten strategic commitments to help the whole building sector to become carbon-neutral. These

commitments relate to training, employment, investment, R&D, development of the French wood supply chain, sustainable forest management, material cost reduction and the recycling of timber.

In response to the French Government’s plans to support the timber industry through the government’s Wood Industries Plan (Le Plan Industries du Bois) and its concept of Buildings for Living in Wood (Immeubles a Vivre Bois), the Association for the Development of Buildings for Living in Wood (ADIVbois) was established. This association brings together stakeholders, project owners, developers, builders, architects, designers, project managers, suppliers, planners, technical organizations and others to support and facilitate the construction of medium and high rise wood demonstrator buildings. Since 2016, studies into technical requirements, testing and market analysis have been commissioned to accelerate the implementation of timber projects. The first demonstrators emerged by 2021.

In 2017, a collaboration between the French Government and Adivbois launched the competition ‘Immeubles a vivre bois’, which identified 13 sites on which to build 48 proof of concept timber buildings. In 2022, one of the scheme’s first projects, Wod’Art, ZAC de la Cartoucherie, was completed in Toulouse (FR). A mixed-use eco-district, ‘La Cartoucherie’ was built on a former industrial site on the left bank of the Garonne with a total of 3,100 m² apartments, 6,000 m² of commercial space and public facilities for schools, sports and leisure. The completed ‘Wood’Art’ complex – an eleven-story hotel tower and two residential buildings – is part of the award-winning project in the Adiv’bois national competition in France. Timber accounted for 75% of the structure’s total building material..

Further reading:

Contrat Stratégique de la Filière Bios 2018-2022. Available at: www.conseil-national-industrie. gouv.fr/files_cni/files/csf/bois/dossier-pressesignature-con-trat-de-filiere-bois-16nov18.pdf

Programme national de la forêt et du bois 2016-2026. Available at: agriculture.gouv.fr/ sites/minagri/files/160307_plannational_ foretbois_03.pdf

1.5 FINLAND

303,940 km2

M2

Land area

Source: worldbank.org

2035

Climate neutrality target year

LUKE, Natural Resources Insitute FIN

73.7% (224,003 km2)

% of land area covered by forests

Source: worldbank.org

66.7 million m3

Roundwood production

Source: eurostat.eu (2021)

90%

% residential buildings built in timber

Source: eurostat.eu (2021)

Key findings

Updates to building regulations permit timber buildings ≤8 storeys

Strengthening local skills base to be competent in timber construction.

Government programmes to build public buildings in timber.

Mandated carbon life cycle analysis and reporting.

Climate policy

The Finnish government is targeting carbon neutrality by 2035 as compared to the EU target date of 2050: the third most ambitious national target date globally .

Forestry and industry

Forests cover more than 70% of the landmass of Finland and the forest sector is a significant component of the Finnish economy. As a heavily forested nation, wood-based construction has a long-standing history, with wood traditionally used in over 80% of single family homes, compared to an average of 8-10% across Europe as a whole.

Both lightweight timber frame and more traditional log-based construction have been, and continue to be, used for residential low-rise buildings, particularly holiday homes.

National pro-timber policies

A number of changes in legislation and policies have been enacted since the early 1990s with the objective of supporting the forestry industry, boosting exports and securing Finland’s international reputation as a supplier of manufactured wood materials.

These changes are ultimately aimed at supporting the Finnish bioeconomy strategy, whilst also increasing the long-term storage of carbon within the local built environment.

Regulatory changes include two significant amendments to The National Building Code of Finland (Suomen rakentamismääräyskokoelma RakMK). These are intended to expand the use of timber in larger scale buildings, which are typically made of concrete.

Both amendments relate to fire safety regulations. The first, in 1997, allowed the use of timber in structures and façades of up to four storeys; and the second, in 2011, increased this height to eight storeys for residential and office buildings. Whilst removing this absolute barrier to the use of timber within larger scale projects was essential, hesitancy remains. Meeting fire regulations requires additional testing for timber structures, the cost of which can be prohibitive.

Despite these barriers, timber in construction is actively promoted in various national strategies and programmes relating to climate, forestry and bioeconomy, with the most focussed being the Wood Building Programme (Puurakentamisen ohjelma), a joint government undertaking coordinated by the Ministry of Environment, which has been running since 2016.

The Wood Building Programme (Puurakentamisen ohjelma) aims to make timber an integral material within construction in Finland. A diverse range of policies are proposed in order to do this: from strengthening the skills base in the industry and updating legislation that impacts timber construction, to providing the evidence required for widespread adoption through the delivery of exemplar projects.

The Wood Building Programme was supported by the National Energy and Climate Strategy (Kansallinen ilmasto-ja energiastrategia) which has four focus areas:

Increasing the use of wood in urban development through the promotion of local policies that encourage timber construction, in turn supporting local authorities with the development of such programmes.

Promoting the use of timber in public buildings through establishing procurement guidelines for public buildings, which highlight the importance of low carbon materials, and using public projects to test carbon assessment tools to establish the embodied carbon and carbon storage capacity of timber building.

Supporting the construction of large timber buildings by providing funding to develop new solutions for large construction projects such as industrial halls and bridges, which will increase understanding of specific areas of timber construction.

Strengthening regional skills bases with the compilation of a national database to share knowledge of key learning points from timber projects.

Goals and policies across multiple sectors are required in order to achieve Finland's demanding carbon target, including an objective to reduce the carbon footprint of construction and

housing. The Ministry of the Environment published a Roadmap to Low Carbon Construction (Vähä¬hiilisen rakentamisen tiekartta) in 2017, which includes the mandatory whole life carbon assessment of all new buildings to be implemented by the mid 2020s.

The Ministry of the Environment, in collaboration with industry, has developed a Life Cycle Assessment Methodology (Elinkaariarviointimenetelmä) for Finland. The approach is based on the European Commission’s Level(s) method and European Standards. The first version of the life cycle assessment methodology was published in 2019 and tested on live construction projects. This soft launch enabled the rectification of issues with the system whilst allowing the industry to become familiar with the method prior to it becoming mandatory. A national carbon database was also launched in March 2021. This includes embodied energy data on materials commonly used in construction with a particular focus on Finnish supply chains.

Having both a consistent methodology and source of data ensures that any carbon data reported is comparable. This overcomes many of the issues related to carbon reporting which typically stem from a lack of consistency in calculation method and data sources.

Maintaining and revising these tools as necessary will be the responsibility of the Finnish government who have also pledged to align the Finnish method and database to those used elsewhere. In 2019 the Finnish Prime Minister joined those of Norway, Denmark, Iceland and Sweden in agreeing a shared goal to make the Nordic region global leaders in combating climate change. This has resulted in intensified collaboration, joint development and sharing of best practice. In 2022 Sweden released its embodied carbon database. This shares the same data collection protocols and interface as Finland’s methodology but is tailored to Swedish sources and construction materials.

The Finnish government anticipates statutory requirements for the whole life carbon footprint of buildings, calculated through this harmonised method, to be in place by 2025.

In addition to calculating the whole life carbon for a building’s carbon footprint, the

Finnish assessment methodology calculates and reports a Carbon Hand Print (Hiilikädenjälki): a concept used to describe the wider climate benefits resulting from a building project.

The inclusion of this additional metric goes beyond the traditional life cycle assessment and begins to consider how the integration of re-used construction components and the on-site generation of surplus renewable energy could be counted.

For timber buildings, the Carbon Hand Print allows for the inclusion of the long-term storage of biogenic carbon, using existing European Standard EN 16485 to quantify this.

How the reported carbon hand print will be used within future policy and regulation by the Finnish Government is unclear, but it has been emphasised that the hand print should not be factored into the footprint to reduce the perception of the carbon cost of a building.

This distinction is important. While it ensures the benefits of timber and other climate positive aspects of a project are acknowledged, they do not become a mechanism to hide the carbon cost of design choices and decisions which are detrimental to the environment.

Further reading:

TOPPINEN, A. et al. (2017), The Future of Wooden Multistorey Construction in the Forest Bioeconomy - A Delphi Study from Finland and Sweden

Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Finland, Finnish Gov., https://mmm.fi/en/ en/forests/use-of-wood/wood-construction (visited 09.03.2023)

Haltia Nature Centre, Helsinki. Image: Stora Enso

1.6 USA

9,147,420 km2

M2

Land area

Source: worldbank.org

2050

Climate neutrality target year

whitehouse.gov

33,9% (3,100,975 km2)

% of land area covered by forests

Source: worldbank.org

445 million m3

Roundwood production

Source: data.un.org

92%

% residential buildings built in timber

Source: SIKKEMA, 2023

Key findings

Building regulations have been expanded to include engineered timber.

Financial grants, R&D and educational resources are provided by forestry industry bodies.

Expansion of timber construction sector funded by domestic timber industry.

Climate policy

The United States is targeting carbon neutrality by 2050 and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to 50-52% below 2005 levels by 2030.

Forestry and industry

Around one third of the United States is forested, totalling 310 million hectares and representing 8% of global forests. Forestry and wood products are a significant component of the American economy. Forestry falls within the remit of the US Department of Agriculture, which is responsible for the protection and promotion of American forests and timber resources.

National pro-timber policies

Timber construction has increased in recent years with engineered timber facilitating use in higher rise, higher density buildings. This development is linked to changes to the International Building Code (IBC), which has been expanded to include engineered timber. The IBC is updated every three years, with individual states, counties and cities adopting the code update within its own timeframe. Each jurisdiction is able to adopt the code update in its entirety, or select specific provisions to be rolled out with local amendments.

The IBC primarily addresses fire prevention in the design and construction of a building through the prescriptive use of specific structural materials, and as part of a series of building types applicable to states across the USA.

The 2021 revision to the IBC was important for mass timber construction as it included the addition of three new sub types of construction - Types IV-A, IV-B, and IV-C - allowing mass timber buildings of above six storeys within standard models. Earlier versions of the IBC increased the opportunities for timber construction, distinguishing between heavy and lightweight timber and recognising that the inherent performance capabilities and fire protection techniques differ for each.

The new types introduced in 2021 are based on the previous heavy timber construction type renamed IV-HT and incorporate additional fire resistance ratings and increased requirements for noncombustible protection to control and limit the potential for a mass timber structure to become fuel

in the event of a fire. The updates include provisions for up to 18-storey structures within Type IV-A.

The IBC 2024 update is set to include further changes to increase the opportunities for tall mass timber buildings, and allow greater potential to expose the mass timber structure.

An increasing number of states, cities and counties, are adopting the tall mass timber provisions of the 2021 IBC, with some assuming 2024 provisions in anticipation of its publication. These amendments to the IBC are allowing design professionals to use timber in a growing number of projects and pave the way for easier and more widespread adoption.

In 2011, the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) published a Final Rule, the Softwood Lumber Check-off, which established an Order for Research, Promotion, Consumer Education and Industry Information in relation to softwood lumber. The Final Rule provides funds to strengthen the market position, maintain and expand markets and to develop new uses for domestic softwood within the United States. The funding is managed by The Softwood Lumber Board (SLB).

The SLB runs recurring funding programmes such as the Mass Timber Competition and Wood Innovation Grants and accepts ad-hoc grant applications for projects that meet the aims and eligibility criteria of the programme as set out by the USDA.

Three primary programmes funded by the SLB are the American Wood Council, Think Wood and Wood Works.

The American Wood Council (AWC) focuses on the development of codes, standards, and regulations that are receptive and favourable to the use of wood within construction. AWC develops and disseminates technical guidelines and design tools and delivers education programmes to enable their application. AWC is widely acknowledged as a highly credible source of information and has a proven track record for engaging US building and fire officials in understanding the performance of the industry’s products. AWC led the industry effort to allow mass timber buildings of up to 18 storeys in the aforementioned 2021 IBC update

Think Wood is a communications campaign that provides commercial, multi-family and single-family home design and build resources to architects, developers, and contractors with the objective of increasing the demand for softwood lumber products in the United States .

Woodworks is a free consultancy service which is available to anyone delivering a building in timber. Services include free project support for commercial and multi-family wood buildings, a nationwide education program, a wide range of published resources and one-on-one project support from local experts who can advise on the most appropriate wood solution, determine the best code path, and help resolve project specific issues

Further reading:

reThink Wood, <https://continuingeducation. bnpmedia.com/courses/think-wood/evolvingbuilding-codes-and-the-wood-revolution/>

U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service: https://www.fs.usda.gov/pnw/pubs/pnw_ gtr560.pdf

Proposal for Anthony Timberlands Center, Arkansas. Image: Waugh Thistleton Architect/Gray Organschi Architecture

M2

13.2% (31,934 km2)

% of land area covered by forests

Source: worldbank.org

10 million m3

Roundwood production

Source: Forest Research (2022)

9%

Buildings built in timber

Climate policy

At COP 26, the UK committed to achieving a 68% reduction in its carbon emissions by 2030. In the UK, the built environment is responsible for 25% of total greenhouse gas emissions.

The House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) published their report Building to net zero: costing carbon in construction in May 2022. The report states that the UK must intensify efforts and eliminate the majority of emissions arising from the built environment to meet the legally binding target of net zero emissions by 2050. The Committee’s report makes clear that reducing embodied carbon emissions is a challenge the built environment needs to tackle.

Forestry and industry

The UK government has been keen to promote forestry, outlining ambitious targets for productive woodland creation. The publication of the England Trees Action Plan in 2021, sets out the government’s long-term vision for the trees, woodlands and forests in England and outlines over 80 policy actions the government is taking to expand woodland, with a target of 30,000 hectares per year by the end of 2024 and 16.5% woodland cover by 2050

National policy

The UK published The Net Zero Strategy in 2021. This overarching document sets out proposals for decarbonising all sectors of the UK economy to meet its 2050 target.

The document sets out how the UK will increase the use of timber in construction in England, with a primary action being the establishing of a crossgovernment and industry working group tasked with identifying key actions to safely increase timber use and reduce embodied carbon with a focus on:

– Providing financial support to develop innovative timber products through the Forestry Innovation Fund;

– Working with key construction stakeholders, including the Green Construction Board,

Construction Leadership Council, Home Builders Federation, and Federation of Master Builders to develop a policy roadmap on use of timber;

– Driving an increase in the use of certain modern methods of construction, some forms of which can encourage use of sustainable materials such as timber;

– Working with Homes England and delivery partners to explore ways to increase timber use in the delivery of housing programmes;

– Increasing public demand for sustainably sourced timber through procurement policies;

– Encouraging research into barriers to uptake of timber, including looking at timber strength grades and the fire resistance of engineered timber structures.

The creation of jobs and upskilling of workers within construction will be supported via various green careers schemes.

The strategy document also commits to improving reporting on embodied carbon in buildings and infrastructure, with a view to exploring a maximum level for new builds in the future; and acknowledges that there is potential to reduce embodied carbon by substituting carbon intensive materials with alternatives such as timber.

In 2023, Defra introduced the Timber in Construction Innovation Fund, which will provide £1.7m of funding to increase and facilitate the use of homegrown wood and wood fibre in construction from sustainably managed English woodlands. The fund will support projects which aim to increase the volume of carbon stored in the built environment, better utilise the UK’s hardwood resources and bring novel or improved wood-rich products, systems and/or processes to market

The UK government has also published the Timber in Construction Roadmap, which focuses on seven priority themes and outlines the opportunities and barriers to the use of timber in construction in England. The objective of the Roadmap is to promote the use of safe, high performing timber construction to support the UK’s transition to net zero.

2.2 ROADMAP PRIORITIES

Below we have taken the seven Priority Themes in the Timber in Construction Roadmap, and identified case studies from the previously discussed nations that offer exemplar guidance as to how the UK can meet these objectives. Some policies pertain to multiple priority themes, and have been listed under each heading accordingly.

Carbon policy

Publicly funded timber building

Financial incentives

Advocacy

Regulation change

Mandated use of timber in construction

1: Improving data on timber and whole life carbon

While construction industry organisations have published baseline and target figures for embodied carbon, in the UK there is no government policy requiring the assessment or control of embodied carbon emissions from buildings.

Calculating a building’s Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) with consistent and reliable results can be complex, which acts as a significant barrier to the adoption of carbon limits in the construction industry. However, in countries where the government is providing centralised tools and systems to ensure comparable results in LCAs (eg Denmark, Netherlands, Finland), steps are being made to overcome these barriers.

It is often the case that embodied carbon policies do not consider the benefits of biogenic carbon within timber and fail to recognise one of the primary benefits of using a replenishable material. The biogenic feedstock of timber throughout its life cycle should be accounted for, as Finland are doing through their Carbon Handprint initiative.

NETHERLANDS

Dutch Building Act (Milieu Prestatie Gebouwen)

De Nationale Milieudatabase (National Environmental database)

Circular Dutch economy by 2050 (Nederland circulair in 2050)

DENMARK

National Strategy for Construction (National strategi for bæredygtigt)

FINLAND

Roadmap to low carbon construction (Vähä¬hiilisen rakentamisen tiekartta )

Life cycle assessment methodology (Elinkaariarviointimenetelmät)

Carbon Hand Prints (Hiilikädenjälki)

Sustainably managed softwood timber forests in Austria. Image: Waugh Thistleton Architects

2: Promoting the safe, sustainable use of timber as a construction material

In the UK, the government is looking at established initiatives which promote the appropriate use of timber, highlighting challenges created by a lack of understanding of timber as a building material.

Across the case studies, policies that explicitly promote building in timber often relate to the procurement of public buildings.

France, for example, has committed to delivering at least 50% of public buildings using biobased materials.

The Netherlands is also showing the way forward. It is moving beyond timber targets for just public buildings: its capital city, Amsterdam, has set a housing target of 1 in 5 homes to be made of timber.

GERMANY

Modernisation of non-residential buildings (Bundesförderung für effiziente Gebäude – Nichtwohngebäude)

Flagship project Skaio (Leuchtturmprojekt Skaio)

Timber Construction Support Programme (Förderprogramm Holzbau )

NETHERLANDS

MRA Green Deal Timber Construction (Green Deal Houtbouw)

FRANCE

Environmental Regulation 2020 (La Réglementation Environnementale 2020)

Timber Construction Ambition Plan 2030 (Plan Ambition Bois-Construction 2030)

FINLAND

Wood Building Programme (Puurakentamisen ohjelma)

3: Increasing skills, capacity, and competency across the supply chain

In 2020, the UK government launched a ten-point plan towards a “green industrial revolution”, which included investing £12bn to create and support up to 250,000 green jobs in the UK. The Net Zero Strategy sets out estimates of how many green jobs can be supported in different sectors.

Other countries have implemented policies that attract new entrants to the timber industry, and encourage up-skilling or re-skilling the existing workforce practitioner to be familiar with low carbon methods.

NETHERLANDS

MRA Green Deal Timber Construction (Green Deal Houtbouw)

FRANCE

Timber Construction Ambition Plan 2030 (Plan Ambition Bois-Construction 2030)

FINLAND

Wood Building Programme (Puurakentamisen ohjelma)

Softwood timber before processing. Image: Waugh Thistleton Architects

4. Increasing the sustainable supply of timber

As stated in the Roadmap, demand for sawn timber in the UK could increase by between 0.2 million m31.3 million m 3 , if the proportion of low-rise residential buildings built with a timber frame increases from 20% today to 80% by 2050. Demand for sustainable timber products in turn can boost the case for forests, both domestically and internationally.

Meanwhile, manufacture of mass timber in the UK is ripe for expansion; boosting jobs and local economies.

Across the world, countries are investing in innovation and expansion of the timber industry, implementing policies that increase the available domestic supply of sustainable timber products and development of a domestic sustainable timber processing sector.

GERMANY

Charter for Wood 2.0 (Charta fur Holz 2.0)

FRANCE

Timber Construction Ambition Plan 2030 (Plan Ambition Bois-Construction 2030)

USA

£

Softwood Lumber Check-off

5. Addressing fire safety and durability concerns for mass timber

While timber frame structures have long been used in low rise construction in the UK, changes to Part B of the Building Regulations following the Grenfell tragedy have resulted in a lack of confidence in the use of engineered timber for multistorey residential buildings.

Other countries are proving that it is already possible to safely design and construct mass timber residential buildings. In the USA and Finland, building codes address fire prevention in mass timber buildings. In Finland, this pathway requires additional testing for timber structures, whereas in the USA it is through the prescriptive use of specific structural materials.

FINLAND

The National Building Code of Finland (Suomen rakentamismääräyskokoelma RakMK)

USA

International Building Code

Processed timber. Image: Waugh Thistleton Architects

Fabrication of mass timber panels for WTA’s MultiPly. Image: AHEC/ Petr Krejci

6: Increasing collaboration with insurers, lenders, and warranty providers

The UK’s Timber Roadmap highlights the steps being taken to advance timber building systems. These steps follow the Mass Timber Insurance Playbook in its guidance on mitigating risk in mass timber buildings, in order to ‘facilitate and streamline the process of obtaining insurance for both construction and ongoing occupations of mass timber buildings’ within the parameters of current building regulations.

Policies that encourage collaboration with insurers, lenders and warranty providers include:

NETHERLANDS

CircuLaw

FRANCE

Timber Construction Ambition Plan 2030 (Plan Ambition Bois-Construction 2030)

FINLAND

National Energy and Climate Strategy (Kansallinen ilmasto-ja energiastrategia)

7: Promoting innovation and high performing timber construction systems

In 2023, Defra created the Timber in Construction Innovation Fund, which offers £1.7 million in funding to increase and facilitate the use of homegrown wood, with the aim of increasing the volume of carbon stored in the built environment.

Grants and matched funding to support innovative projects are also available from philanthropic organisations such as Built by Nature, a network and grant-making fund dedicated to accelerating the timber building transformation in Europe.

Evidenced across this publication's case studies are examples of policies that encourage innovation in building practices within the construction sector, and the promotion of methods and materials with the potential to increase efficiency and productivity.

FRANCE

Timber Construction Ambition Plan 2030 (Plan Ambition Bois-Construction 2030)

FINLAND

National Energy and Climate Strategy (Kansallinen ilmasto-ja energiastrategia)

Exposed mass timber interiors at the Black & White Building, London. Image: The Office Group/Jake Curtis

Mass timber elements are installed at the Black & White Building, London. Image: The Office Group

TYPES AND INSTRUMENTS

Policy drivers

Changes to regulations to improve the sustainability of buildings in light of climate change have historically focussed on improvements to the operation and energy efficiency of buildings, rather than the carbon cost of the materials used in their construction, which has been largely ungoverned.

As this aspect of the carbon cost of the built environment has increased in significance, the embodied and sequestered carbon benefits of using timber are coming into focus.

Policy enactors

Policies that influence the use of timber in construction can be initiated by various ministries: forestry, agriculture, economic development, environment, housing, research etc. These relate both to timber in construction, and or timber/ forestry as a component of the economy, or to carbon regulation in construction.

Types of policy

FORESTRY PROMOTION POLICY

In countries with a strong forestry sector, policy tends to be aimed at driving economic benefits through increased use of timber and maximising its carbon storage potential.

CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION POLICY

Climate change policies often refer to timber in a broad sense, rather than focussing on the benefits that can be achieved through its use in construction.

These policies often fail acknowledge the long-term carbon storage benefits that timber buildings offer. Whilst such policies may incentivise the use of timber in some projects, and are essential in ensuring the forestry and manufacturing industry is supported to maintain a stable supply of sustainably produced products, their influence on the built environment will likely be limited.

In cases where policy is targeted towards construction, the focus often leans more heavily on low carbon materials and whole life carbon assessment, rather than on timber.

Implementation

Pro-timber policies can be categorised as explicit or implicit in the way they are formulated (Figure 5).

Implicit policies are more difficult to identify than pro-timber initiatives as they are embedded within wider policies, which impact a variety of areas.

Because the objectives of such policies are complex and multifaceted, the government departments and ministries that have responsibility for them vary significantly and the motivations for adopting them are diverse.

Drivers include economic benefits, the environment, local industry, employment and promotion of a nation, region or city (Figure 4).

However they all aim to change behaviour by setting positive or negative incentives through hard (various degrees of pressure and coercion) or soft (voluntary) instruments (Figure 6).

Jurisdiction

Policies can be established at national, regional or local levels, with some regional and local level policies being driven by local government and others being local adoption of a decision initiated at national level.

Councils and regional governments in areas with a strong forestry industry are more likely to adopt pro-timber policies (eg Latrobe City Council, 2015).

However, this is not always the case. For example, policymakers in the Metropolitan Region of Amsterdam, where there is no forestry industry, have implemented pro-timber policies with strict rules dictating how much new housing must be delivered in timber.

Often it is the regional rather than the national policies which are more stringent in their requirements, due to the fact that national policies have to be adaptable to accommodate regional differences.

Reduce environmental impacts of construction materials

Reduce environmental impacts of construction materials

Reduce environmental impacts of construction materials

Promote wood economy (nation wide or locally)

Promote wood economy (nation wide or locally)

Contribute to climate change mitigation goals

Use locally sourced products

Contribute to climate change mitigation goals

Use locally sourced products

Contribute to climate change mitigation goals

Use locally sourced products

Promote wood economy (nation wide or locally)

Environmental Financial

Environmental Financial

POLICY DRIVERS

Encourage community culture of timber build

Environmental Financial

Encourage community culture of timber build

Encourage community culture of timber build

Use locally sourced products

Use locally sourced products

Use locally sourced products

POLICY ENACTORS & INFLUENCERS

No

Figure 1 - Pro-timber policies are often justified with reference to the positive effects of timber such as material substitution and carbon storage but also driven by financial objectives

Figure 2 - Policy enactors are minsters/sectoral leaderships; public opinion is often influenced by public or privately funded campaigns

EU specific

AGENDA 2030  - Action for people, planet and prosperity

Addresses the emerging challenges of sustainable development in an integrated way through 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

PARIS AGREEMENT - Limit global warming below 1 5°C A legally binding international treaty entered into force on 4 November 2016

It has been adopted by 196 Parties

Works on 5 years cycle of increasingly ambitious climate action

Nationally determined contributions (NDCs)

Long-Term Low GHG emission development strategies (LT-LEDS)

EU GREEN DEAL - Climate neutrality by 2050

- Renovation Wave Strategy

- Sustainable Built Environment Strategy

- Circular Economy Action Plan

- Industrial Strategy

Biodiversity Strategy

- Forest Strategy

- New European Bauhaus

EU CLIMATE LAW - Making the 2050 target binding

- Climate target plan

- Fit for 55 Package:

- Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD)

- Emission Trading System (ETS)

- Effort Sharing Regulation (ESR)

- Renewable Energy Directive (RED II)

- Energy Efficency Directive (EED)

- Carbon Boarder Adjustment -Mechanism (CBAM)

- Energy Taxation Directive (ETD)

- Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF)

- Social Climate Fund

Source: Mădălina Rusen_ Urbasofia

Figure 3 - Sustainability: legislative layers

FOREST OWNERS

WASTE MANAGEMENT COMPANIES

DEMOLITION COMPANIES

INSURANCE COMPANIES

TIMBER PROCUREMENT

BUILDING  OWNERS INVESTORS

CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES

BUILD COMPONENT MANUFACTURE

ARCHITECTS ENGINEERS

Figure 4 - Timber: the business ecosystem

Appendix: policy types and instruments

Embodied carbon targets

Support of wood construct resources (forestry)

Climate policy

Sequestred carbon targets

Use of bio-based material for certail building types

POLICY TYPES

Explicit Implicit

Product specific policy

Support of wood construct processes & products

Financial incentives (linked to use of timber)

Taxation of conventional building materials

Waste, recycle and reuse policy

Figure 5 - Pro-timber policies are difficult to identify as they are often embedded in wider policies

Binding tagets for renewable materials share

Binding tagets for renewable materials share

Easing of Code Restrictions

Easing of Code Restrictions

Financial Incentives (Postive Pressure) Taxation (Negative Pressure)

Financial Incentives (Postive Pressure) Taxation (Negative Pressure)

Regulatory (coercion) Hard Soft Information tools

Economic (pressure)

POLICY INSTRUMENTS

Voluntary Policy Tools

Voluntary Policy Tools

Competitions or Applications

Competitions or Applications

Environmental Assessments

Environmental Assessments

Economic (pressure) R&D tools

Publications and Technical Guides

Publications and Technical Guides

Campaigns on Wood Construction Benefits

Campaigns on Wood Construction Benefits

R&D tools

Test Reports and Prototyping

Test Reports and Prototyping

Buildability TestingProject Finacing

Buildability TestingProject Finacing

Figure 6 - Carrots, sticks and sermons: policy instruments can be categorised in many different ways, an effective one is their degree of coerciveness (Vedung, 2010)

Policy

ACAN. (2021). The Carbon Footprint of Construction - The case for regulating embodied carbon in construction to significantly address the impact of the industry on the climate

CBS, www.cbs.nl/en-gb/society/nature-and-environment/green-growth/natural-resources/stocks-ofstanding-timber

Dark Matter Labs et al., www.circulaw.nl

FAO. (2020). Status of public policies encouraging wood use in construction-an overview

FAO and UNECE. (2016). Promoting sustainable building materials and the implications on the use of wood in buildings. Geneva: UNECE

Grantham Research Insititute on Climate change and LSE, www.climate-laws.org

HILDEBRANDT, J., HAGEMANN, N., THRAN, D. (2017). The contribution of wood-based construction materials for leveraging a low carbon building sector in Europe, Sustainable Cities and Society, 405-418

HURMEKOSKI, E., (2017). How can wood construction reduce environmental degradation?

LUDWIG, G. (2019). The Role of Law in Transformative Environmental Policies - A Case Study of “Timber in Buildings Construction in Germany”

MILESTONE, S., KREMER, P. , (2019). Encouraging Councils and Governments Around the World to Adopt Timber-First Policies: A Systematic Literature Review Mass Timber Construction Journal Vol. 1

reThink Wood, continuingeducation.bnpmedia.com/courses/think-wood/evolving-building-codes-and-thewood-revolution

UKGBC ukgbc.org/our-work/topics/whole-life-carbon-roadmap/

UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard www.nzcbuildings.co.uk/

UNECE unece.org/forestry-timber/documents/2023/11/working-documents/draft-policy-guidelinesprinciplesadvancing-low

URBASOFIA ed.by, (2022), Build-in-Wood Policy Catalogue - Making wood cities happen: New urban policies for sustainable and carbon-neutral cities

WIEGAND, E., RAMAGE, M., (2022) The impact of policy instruments on the first generation of Tall Wood Buildings, Building Research & Information, 50:3, 255-275, DOI: 10.1080/09613218.2021.1905501

Woodworks (visited 09.03.2023):

– www.woodworks.org/tall-wood-corner-building-codes

– www.woodworks.org/resources/tall-wood-buildings-in-the-2021-ibc-up-to-18-stories-of-mass-timber

– www.woodworks.org/learn/mass-timber-clt/tall-mass-timber

Statistics

United Nations (UN), unstats.un.org/unsd/environment/interlinks.htm#Forest s

Food and Agricolture Organisation of the UN (FAO), www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/FO

Statistisches Bundesamt, www.destatis.de/EN/Home/_node.html

Softwood Lumber Board, softwoodlumberboard.org/about-slb/how-it-works/checkoff-order

Climateanalytics, climateactiontracker.org

The World Bank, carbonpricingdashboard.worldbank.org/map_data

The World Bank, data.worldbank.org/indicator/AG.LND.FRST.ZS?end=2020&start=1961

United Nations Statistics Division, unstats.un.org/unsd/environment/interlinks

GLOSSARY

BIOGENIC CARBON: The carbon absorbed and stored by plants as a natural consequence of their life cycle. In the context of timber-based products, this is the carbon sequestered by the tree as it grows, the carbon that continues to be stored in timber products over their lifetime.

CARBON:

CARBON NEUTRALITY:

CLT:

EMBODIED CARBON:

END OF LIFE:

ENGINEERED TIMBER:

FINAL RULE:

FOREST AREA:

A collective term for greenhouse gases, often measured in carbon dioxide equivalent (CO ² e).

A balance of zero between the carbon emitted and that absorbed.

Cross-laminated timber, an engineered wood product consisting of layers of solid-sawn lumber.

The carbon dioxide emissions generated in producing materials. In construction, this includes the emissions produced by the manufacture and transport of materials, their construction on site and the ongoing building maintenance and refurbishment.

The end of life stage of a building starts when the building is decommissioned and not anticipated to have any further use. At this point, the building’s demolition/deconstruction may be considered as a multi-output process that can provide a source of materials, products and building elements to be recovered and assessed, reused or recycled.

Wood-based composite materials. Typically, solid softwood is processed in a factory, combined with other materials (for example adhesives) and formed into a new material. Engineered timber products combine all the positive attributes of timber, for example strength, weight, sustainability etc, while removing some of the negative attributes, such as variability, stability and limited section sizes. (Source: www. designingbuildings.co.uk )

A final rule, in the context of USA administrative rule making, is a federal administrative regulation. It has advanced through the proposed rule and public comment stages of the rule making process and is published in the Federal Register with a scheduled effective date.

Land under natural or planted stands of trees of at least 5 metres in situ, whether productive or not. This term excludes tree stands in agricultural production systems (for example, in fruit plantations and agroforestry systems) and trees in urban parks and gardens. (Source: worldbank.org)

GLT: Glued laminated timber (Glulam/GLT) is made from gluing layers of timber planks to create beams and columns of various sizes.

LAND AREA:

A country’s total area, excluding area under inland water bodies, national claims to continental shelf, and exclusive economic zones. In most cases, the definition of inland water bodies includes major rivers and lakes. (Source: worldbank.org)

LIGHTWEIGHT TIMBER CONSTRUCT:

MASS TIMBER:

NET ZERO:

POLICY:

PREFABRICATION:

PROGRAMME:

ROUNDWOOD PRODUCTION:

A system of panellised structural walls and floors constructed from small-section timber studs clad with board products, in which the timber frame transmits vertical and horizontal loads to the foundations. (Source: designingbuildings.co.uk)

A category of wood products comprising multiple solid wood panels nailed or glued together, which provide exceptional strength and stability.

Net zero means cutting greenhouse gas emissions to as close to zero as possible, with any remaining emissions re-absorbed from the atmosphere, by oceans and forests for instance. (Source: un.org)

A set of ideas, principles, or plans proposed or adopted by organisations or individuals. At governmental level, the mechanisms for implementing these are called Policy Instruments (PIs). According to Howlett and Rayner (2007), these are techniques of governance which, one way or another, involve the utilisation of state resources, or their conscious limitation, to achieve policy goals. Vedung (1998) argued that PIs could be classified along the degree of coerciveness in terms of typologies: regulatory (the stick), economic (the carrot), and information (the sermon). Instruments could be arranged from more to less coercive, respectively. These typologies became a reference for environmental policy literature, maintaining a central position in studying policy instruments in the field. (Source: Ramage et al. 2021)

Prefabrication describes assemblies and/or components that are manufactured under factory conditions and then transported to construction sites for incorporation into a building.

Intersectoral programmes based on contents specified by the national government to achieve objectives defined by the government. Programmes usually involve collaboration between various ministries.

All quantities of wood removed from the forest and other wooded land or other tree-felling site during a defined period of time.

SEQUESTERED CARBON: Trees absorb CO 2 from the atmosphere while they grow. This CO 2 remains locked in timber until the end of its life and is referred to as ‘sequestered carbon’.

WHOLE LIFE-CYCLE CARBON (WLC): The carbon emissions resulting from the materials, construction and the use of a building over its entire life, including its demolition and disposal. A WLC assessment provides a true picture of a building’s carbon impact on the environment. (Source: london.gov.uk)

The information provided in this book is intended for guidance only and should not be used without reference to relevant legislation, best practice and professional judgement. The authors will not be liable for any losses or damages resulting for the use of this book.

“A society grows great when the old plant trees in whose shade they shall never sit.”

Proverb