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Wood is an incredibly useful and sustainable natural material which we get from trees.

In this article you can learn about:

• Why we use wood

• Why trees are important

• Deforestation

• How we can use wood sustainably

This resource is suitable for sustainability topics for primary school learners.

75% of Britain’s land used to be covered in forest until our ancestors chopped down most of the trees. They did this to clear land and to use the wood for buildings, ships and fuel. Wood is a material which we still use a lot of throughout the world.

You can learn more about forests in Scotland here: Forests

It’s a naturally-grown material that takes no extra energy to make, unlike plastic and metal.

We use wood for buildings, furniture, flooring, paper, cardboard and to make many other things.

Wood is a popular material because it is strong and flexible. It can be shaped or cut in any way and it is renewable. This means that it is a naturally replenishing material – it will grow back.

Likes all plants, trees absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen.

This is useful because:

• All animals, including us, do the opposite: we breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide. This means trees provide us with the oxygen we need to survive.

• By absorbing carbon dioxide it also means trees prevent pollution, improve air quality and slow down the effects of climate change.

Trees also provide food and shelter for living creatures. We need lots of trees as part of our global ecosystem.

Learn more about how photosynthesis works: How do plants get energy and food to grow?

Deforestation means the removal of trees. This is sometimes done to clear land for farming, roads or settlements. It is a big problem globally.

For example, in the Amazon Rainforest in South America around 13,235 km² of trees were cut down in 2021. Trees are removed to make space for things like farmland to raise cattle for the meat industry. That’s the same as around 2 million football pitches worth of trees being cut down in a year. It is not sustainable.

In Scotland lots of our forests are now more sustainable. That means that when we cut down trees, we plant new ones to replace them so our forests stay alive and we protect our wildlife and environment.

We need to make sure we are making responsible choices about how we use wood.

Governments and companies need to get involved to make a difference.

They need to:

• plant new trees when they cut down old ones
• limit the amount they cut down at any one time

This is especially true of hardwood trees (like oak and ash) which can take up to hundreds of years to grow back. By comparison, softwood trees (like pine) grow back quite quickly so are a more sustainable option.

As wood is a natural material, it can sustain other types of life when it biodegrades naturally. This means it breaks down as part of nature and becomes part of the nutrient cycle by supporting wildlife and other living things.

We should leave most trees in the ground. This will help:

• protect us from climate change
• keep our air quality good
• provide a habitat for other plants and animals
• soak up water from the soil which helps prevent flooding
• give us beautiful landscapes to look at and enjoy

Advantages of wood

• It is a strong and flexible material to use in building.
• It has thousands of different uses and is often used in building, to make furniture, toys and types of tools.
• It is naturally replenishing and renewable as it grows naturally in the ground. This means using it damages the environment less than non-renewable energy sources and materials which don’t grow back.
• It biodegrades and breaks down naturally so contributes to the nutrient cycle to support other living things.

Disadvantages of wood

There are many disadvantages to using wood as a material because when alive as trees, wood is very useful to us!

• Deforestation negatively affects natural ecosystems, biodiversity and the climate.
• By absorbing carbon dioxide, trees help to slow down climate change. They also release oxygen and so are a natural part of the ecosystem. Cutting trees down to use as material means we don’t get this fantastic benefit.
• They are a beautiful part of nature when alive – it's a real shame to cut them down and lose stunning views, good air quality and the support of other life such as insects, animals and birds.

Sustainable - Doing something that will cause little or no damage to the environment and will be able to continue for a long period of time.

Natural materials - Materials that are found in nature and have not been made by humans.

Deforestation - The cutting down of forests or groups of trees to clear the land for another use. Although the trees can be used to build homes and furniture, the land is often cleared to be used as farmland and to raise cattle, to build homes or for mining.

Ecosystem - A geographic area made up of all of the living and nonliving things. It is an area where plants, animals, and other living things, as well as the landscape and weather work together. Ecosystems can be very large or very small.

Carbon dioxide - A natural gas that is all around us. It is essential for life on Earth. For example, animals (including humans) breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide, while plants do the opposite. But carbon dioxide is also created when fossil fuels are burned. This is a problem because there is now too much of it in the atmosphere. As a greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide is the main cause of global heating and therefore climate change.

Oxygen – A gas that you cannot see, taste or smell. It is all around us and what we breathe. All living things need oxygen for survival.

Climate change - This is the long-term change in weather patterns (temperature, wind, rainfall etc.) on Earth, including its side-effects, for example increased drought and flooding.

Write a letter to your local MP, MSP or councillors

Find out what they are doing to support sustainable forests and tree planting in your local area.

If there are opportunities to get involved, you might consider helping. Or you might be able to encourage your MP, MSP or councillor to do more to make sure your local forests are looked after or that new trees are planted to improve your local area.