The Carbon Cycle of forests and Wood Products 🌳 In the US, forests across the nation are capturing and storing more carbon on average than they are emitting, even including the impact of forest fires and timber harvest. Does that mean that wood is always a sustainable building material? Unfortunately not. Many forests are losing carbon and biodiversity due to forest fires or overharvesting. It still matters which forest a wood product comes from and how the forest is managed. Stay tuned for the