CRADLE-TO-GATE LIFE-CYCLE INVENTORY OF US WOOD PRODUCTS PRODUCTION: CORRIM PHASE I AND PHASE II PRODUCTS

This article documents cradle-to-gate life-cycle inventories for softwood lumber, hardwood lumber, and solid-strip hardwood flooring manufacturing from the Inland Northwest and the Northeast-North Central regions of the US. Environmental impacts were measured based on emissions to air and water, solid waste, energy consumption, and resource use. The manufacturing stage consumed the greatest amount of energy representing 90 - 92% of the total. Total energy consumption for softwood lumber manufacturing was about one-half of that required for hardwood lumber and hardwood flooring. The use of wood biomass as the primary energy source for manufacturing greatly reduced the environmental burdens by offsetting the demand for fossil fuels. Transportation impacts contributed approximately 3%, and forestry and harvesting operations accounted for 3 - 7%. Management and harvesting of softwoods in the Northeast-North Central regions required a greater amount of energy attributable to higher-intensity management scenarios.