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GROWN IN SECONDS
We regularly call on historic federal forest inventories to demonstrate the remarkable sustainability of American hardwoods. The American hardwood timber resource is large and growing rapidly; between 1953 and 2012 the volume of hardwood growing stock increased by 130%. We use this inventory data to calculate that it takes less than 25 seconds for the American white oak in this 500m2 deck to be replaced by natural forest regrowth.
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Environmental Profile
American hardwoods are sustainably grown, legally harvested, and responsibly managed to ensure minimal environmental impact.
AHEC works closely with producers and industry bodies across North America to develop systems and tools that guarantee supply-chain transparency, carbon neutrality and ecological health. These include the Life Cycle Assessment tool – which calculates the full environmental impact of every hardwood species to the point of delivery to any country; the American Hardwood Environmental Profile (AHEP) – an online system allowing exporters to supply comprehensive and consolidated environmental data for all hardwood consignments; and the Interactive Forest Map – which tracks forest volumes across the United States, state by state and county by county.
Supported by detailed studies such as Seneca Creek Associates’ AHEC-commissioned report into supply-chain integrity, these tools preserve and promote the environmental credentials of American hardwoods, offering a comprehensive overview of the sustainability of these extraordinary materials.
