Environmental Considerations
Environmental Considerations
Over 25 Years of Experience | ISPM15 Certified | 24-Hour Delivery
Over 20 Years of Experience ISPM15 Certified24-Hour Delivery
With years of experience in the industry, our fully trained team is constantly striving to further our education and find new, cutting edge ways to better serve you. We take the environment into consideration with everything we do. We are proud to say that Atlanta Pallets & Services is participant of the following sustainability programs: ECOVADIS
(Bronze) and MANUFACTURE 2030
Sustainability Program. Find out more about the role the environment plays in what we do below. Call Atlanta Pallets & Services today.
Facts Regarding Forestry in Georgia
- Forestry is Georgia's largest industry
- The forestry industry employs 177,000 people and contributing $19.7 billion annually to Georgia's economy
- Georgia has more timberland than any other state
- Approximately 65% of Georgia's 17.1 million acres is considered commercial forest
- Most of Georgia's timberland is owned by 600,000 different landowners
- Large paper and forest companies own only 21% of timberland and public companies own 7%
- Georgia is one of the nation's top pulpwood producing states
- Half of Georgia's timber harvest each year ends up in pulpwood mills, where it is turned into paper products
- Softwoods such as pine make up 61% of the commercial forests in Georgia
- Hardwoods (mainly oak) make up 39% of commercial forests
- There are 980 logging businesses in Georgia
- There are more than 180 wood mills in Georgia, including, sawmills, pulpwood, plywood, and planing mills
*Information sourced from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Wood Is a Carbon Neutral Material
Growing trees are a net producer of oxygen through the process of photosynthesis. Growing trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, separating carbon and oxygen atoms before releasing the oxygen back into the air. The carbon is used by the tree to aid in the healthy growth of its roots, trunk, branches, and leaves. It is then stored in the tree (or product made from the tree) for the remainder of its life.
Making products from other sources such as plastic, steel, aluminum, glass, and concrete can take up to 126 times more energy to produce than a natural wood product. The manufacturing process of wood pallets is limited to running a saw blade over the wood and nailing the product together while manufacturing products sourced from other materials consist of numerous energy-intensive procedures. Plastic, in particular, causes a number of harmful fossil fuel emissions into the atmosphere in order to process the raw materials.
Advanced technology allows us to ensure the least wood is wasted throughout the manufacturing process. For example, tree bark becomes mulch and soil conditioner, sawdust is used for animal bedding and fuel for boilers, and trimmings can be used for wood components and paper. Natural wood products are the most energy-efficient product to produce and result in the least amount of environmental waste.
*Information sourced from the American Hardwood Council
How Do Wood Pallets Improve the Environment?
Environmentalists agree that wood is a carbon-neutral substance because while living, trees sequester substantial amounts of carbon in their cellular structure. While nearly 50% of a trees' dry weight is carbon, only mature trees will actually release carbon into the atmosphere. This highlights the importance of responsibly managing forests and harvesting only mature trees.
Harvesting and processing mature trees result in new tree growth and continued sequestration of carbon. Over the last 50 years, American hardwood forests have stored nearly 110 million tons of carbon dioxide (excluding all harvested material). The conversion of wood into wood packaging (pallets and crates), flooring, furniture, cabinetry, etc. contributes to the long-term removal of carbon from the atmosphere and helps reduce greenhouse gases and global warming.
Wood plays an important role in reducing America's overall carbon footprint in a number of ways, including:
- When a young forest is growing, it produces 1 ton of oxygen and absorbs 1.4 tons of carbon dioxide for every ton of wood
- Trees actually sequester carbon into the wood, meaning it will not be released into the atmosphere
- Carbon emissions associated with manufacturing wood products are less than the carbon stored within the wood during its growth cycle
The volume of hardwoods in American forests today is 90% larger than it was 50 years ago. The U.S. Forest Service forecasts further growth of 15-20% is expected in the hardwood growing inventory through 2030.
*Information sourced from the American Hardwood Council
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