Building with wood is a natural form of carbon capture that can help mitigate climate change and allow New England to reach its climate goals. That’s why we applaud the progress being made on identifying climate-smart forestry, which we welcome here in Maine; it helps us source climate-smart wood products for building (“Smart growth,” Metro, Nov. 13). To lower the carbon footprint of our new buildings, we not only need new solutions such as cross-laminated timber construction, but we also must make sure it’s sustainably sourced, and climate-smart forestry presents a way to do that.
As Amanda Gokee reported, Massachusetts uses 359 million cubic feet of wood each year to build its homes, businesses, and communities. It imports 98 percent of this wood, leaving it to Maine and others to sort out the climate and ecological impact. Managing our working forests to maximize carbon storage could deliver multiple benefits: It could help us achieve our climate goals, protect ecosystem health and biodiversity, grow our rural economies, and provide great places for recreation.
Bryan Wentzell
Executive director
Maine Mountain Collaborative
Portland, Maine