Benefits of Sustainable Timber

Wesbeam LVL products are manufactured from sustainablly sourced timbers managed to strict Commonwealth, State and Local government regulations and guidelines.

Wesbeam LVL products are manufactured from sustainably sourced timbers which are managed to strict Commonwealth, State and Local government regulations and guidelines.

These raw resources are mainly supplied by the Forest Products Commission of Western Australia from plantations within a 300 km radius of Perth, WA. 

Maritime pine is a robust species with a capacity to grow well in deep sandy soils over a wide range of sites, including lower rainfall areas. Radiata pine is one of the most popular southern hemisphere species and is generally grown in areas with an annual rainfall greater than 700 mm. Karri is a Western Australian native hardwood species and all Wesbeam Karri is sourced in the south-west of Western Australia.

Making the most of every tree

Engineered wood products such as LVL make extremely efficient use of the available timber resource as they can be made from fast-growing, less expensive wood species and the by-products of manufacture are used to produce particle board, garden mulch and compost. 

The process of manufacturing LVL redistributes and eliminates many of the natural defects found in wood to improve the physical properties of the product; particularly size and strength.

How trees store carbon

As trees grow, they absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through photosynthesis and store the carbon in their leaves, trunks and roots.

About 50% of the wood's dry weight in a tree is atmospheric carbon. This carbon is retained in the timber products recovered from harvested trees and is stored for at least the product's service life in a building.

The volume of carbon stored is considerable. A cubic metre of seasoned softwood sequesters about 250 kg of atmospheric carbon or about 0.9 tonnes of carbon dioxide. If enough wood is used in a building’s design - and high carbon dioxide emitting materials avoided - the finished building can be a net carbon store.

Reducing environmental impacts

Timber-rich building designs offer clear benefits over similar solutions assembled from alternative materials - especially non-renewable ones such as concrete and steel which are made with energy-intensive production processes. Products manufactured from sustainable timber generally have lower environmental impacts and are easier to build than alternative solutions while delivering similar or enhanced performance.

Versatile and workable wood

In addition to being lighter than alternative solutions, timber-rich approaches are generally more versatile in design and easier to change. Wood components are also highly workable and can be easily cut and assembled with precision. They are clean to handle and work.

Get the environmental edge

Timber and wood products used in design and construction can support sustainable development and a low carbon economy. 

Timber and wood products, combined with sustainable forestry practices, provide designers and their clients with a significant environmental edge over alternative building materials and fuels as they are natural, renewable and store atmospheric carbon both in the forest and in the building. In contrast to alternative building materials, they also require relatively little energy to make.