USDA Forest Service Researchers Report on the Life-Cycle Assessment of Redwood Lumber in US

The USDA Forest Service researchers recently published FPL-RP-706, October 2020 entitled Cradle-to-Gate Life-Cycle Assessment of Redwood Lumber in the United States. Life-cycle assessment (LCA, also known as life-cycle analysis) can be thought of as an environmental audit where all of the environmental impacts from raw material extraction and processing (cradle) through manufacture and preparation for distribution (gate) are scientifically measured. With primary data gathered in accordance with Consortium for Renewable Industrial Materials (CORRIM) research guidelines. The study methodology followed the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14040 and 14044 standards to conduct an LCA study. Data was gathered on forestry operations, log transportation and lumber production, which included sawing, drying and finishing, collected from three major redwood lumber mill operations including Humboldt Sawmill Company, LLC., and Mendocino Forest Products Company LLC., which represent 66.6% of the total production volume of the redwood lumber industry in 2017.