* REDUCING HOME CARBON GENERATION - Wood Burning
Cord wood, wood pellets, woody yard waste and scrap wood - what to do with it?
Burning a cord of wood returns 2.5 tons of carbon (5% of total) to the atmosphere where it came from in growing the tree. Some claim this is carbon neutral, but it isn't. Left standing in the tree that 2.5 tons would have remain sequestered, continued to increase and remain out of the atmosphere.
Left in the forest to die and decay, this tree would also produce 2.5 tons of carbon per cord, but that carbon would be released over the 40-50 year decay period. This is the bogeyman for wood burning. We get an instant infusion of 2.5tons/cord instead of slowly releasing the carbon over the 40-50 year period. Thus, burning wood is a very significant contributor to carbon emissions, including wood pellets.
Scrap wood with remaining construction value should be donated to places like Restore, where is becomes available to all. Other scrap wood can be allowed to decay naturally or placed in the landfill stream. Although wood decaying in a landfill generates methane rather than carbon dioxide, the rate is very slow, so there may not be much difference between the two. However, burning scrap wood will produce carbon in the usual amount, so should be minimized.
Woody yard waste should be disposed of just like scrap construction wood - i.e. allowed to decay or put in the landfill. It should not be burned. Very small twigs can be composted, but take a long time and still return the carbon to the atmosphere.
Left in the forest to die and decay, this tree would also produce 2.5 tons of carbon per cord, but that carbon would be released over the 40-50 year decay period. This is the bogeyman for wood burning. We get an instant infusion of 2.5tons/cord instead of slowly releasing the carbon over the 40-50 year period. Thus, burning wood is a very significant contributor to carbon emissions, including wood pellets.
Scrap wood with remaining construction value should be donated to places like Restore, where is becomes available to all. Other scrap wood can be allowed to decay naturally or placed in the landfill stream. Although wood decaying in a landfill generates methane rather than carbon dioxide, the rate is very slow, so there may not be much difference between the two. However, burning scrap wood will produce carbon in the usual amount, so should be minimized.
Woody yard waste should be disposed of just like scrap construction wood - i.e. allowed to decay or put in the landfill. It should not be burned. Very small twigs can be composted, but take a long time and still return the carbon to the atmosphere.
