We need forests. They’re the lungs of the earth. They’re also home to more plants and animals than any other terrestrial biome. They protect watersheds and mitigate flooding. Provide us humans with recreation, inspiration and well-being. And, of course, they contain vast amounts of carbon and the ability to draw down much of the carbon currently in the atmosphere.

And it’s because of this carbon-sequestering quality that wood products––particularly those in the building industry––have come to be deemed as “carbon neutral” or “carbon negative”. And while wood may be the lower-carbon option compared to concrete or steel, there’s much more to the story.

As Jason Grant, manager for corporate engagement on the forest team at the World Wildlife Fund, explains, not all wood is created equal. In fact, not all wood is good. To truly understand the carbon impact of a wood product, one first has to understand the forestry practices used to harvest it and how carbon flows through various types of forests––something Jason often illustrates through his leaky-bucket analogy.

In this episode, Jason shares how management practices impact carbon, why lifecycle assessments (LCAs) don’t provide the full picture and how to source climate-smart wood.