Cradle-to-Gate Life-Cycle Impact Analysis of Glued-Laminated (Glulam) Timber: Environmental Impacts from Glulam Produced in the US Pacific Northwest and Southeast*

Abstract This study was an update on the 2000 life-cycle inventory data on material and energy inputs associated with the production of 1 m3 of glued-laminated (glulam) timbers produced in the Pacific Northwest (PNW) and the Southeast (SE) regions of the United States. This article looks at the cradle to gate for the entire glulam production processes, which include forest harvest, lamstock production, and glulam beam production. Data collected from glulam beam manufacturers in 2013 allowed for the development of a life-cycle assessment utilizing the product category rules for North American Structural and Architectural Wood Products so that the results from these analyses can be used for the development of environmental product declarations of glulam beams produced in the United States. Comparing the results of this study with the life-cycle assessment based on the 2000 survey data shows 30 percent reductions in global warming potential of glulam beams produced in both the PNW and the SE and reductions i...