Hardwood Floors August/September 2018

Wood Flooring’s Sustainability Story (Continued)

include fossil fuel for the lumber haulers and stackers. ere are no outputs included in this process. Drying. During this process, the lumber is stacked onto drying stickers in the lumber yard, which enhance air ow. e stacked lumber also may be end sealed and oriented within the mill yard to optimize air drying. Once air drying is complete, the lumber is loaded into a kiln to expedite further drying and bring the lumber to the correct moisture content. Inputs include fossil fuel for the lumber stackers and haulers, water to produce steam for drying, and electricity to run fans. Outputs include air emissions, including volatile organic compounds, also known as VOCs. Planing. During this process, the lumber is planed to a uniform thickness. is process also produces a smooth face surface, which aids with grading and sorting. Inputs include fossil fuel for the equipment that delivers the lumber to the planer, and electricity to operate the machinery. Outputs include shavings and sawdust. ese outputs are burned as fuel or are manufactured into other items like wood pellets or wood bricks. Ripping. During this process, the boards are fed through a rip saw to create uniform widths. Inputs

SOLID WOOD FLOORING e life cycle inventory for solid wood oors was published in 2008 by the University of Wisconsin Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology (UW), funded by the NWFA. e research conducted for this study was performed applying the methods found in the Consortium for Research on Renewable Industrial Material (CORRIM) Research Guidelines, and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14040/14040 standards to ensure consistent and comprehensive data collection and analysis. Typical manufacturing of un nished solid wood oors includes seven processes. ese include: shipping the lumber from the mill, drying, planing, ripping, trimming, moulding, and sorting. An eighth process could be added for pre nishing, but this process was not included in the scope of this study. Inputs and outputs for each of these unit processes were collected as part of the research. Shipping the lumber from the mill. During this process, trucks transport the lumber from the sawmill to the ooring mill. Lumber is sorted by species, dimension, and grade, and then is stacked for storage. Inputs

Wood is a low-carbon neutral product...that sequesters carbon during its service life.

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