Building with timber to be encouraged

Timber should be used more and more for building, thereby improving the quality of life, the Federal Environment Office says.

In a statement issued in connection with World Forestry Day on Saturday, it said timber had recently enjoyed a renaissance in the wake of rising energy prices and fears about climate change.

Yet more timber can be used without damaging the forests, it said. Indeed, this will help the forests to preserve their function in the long term.

Forests act as avalanche protection and provide environmentally friendly raw material, as well as providing a leisure space for the population.

The office launched a new action plan on January 1 to promote the use of timber. One aim is to inform the general public and the proprietors of forests about ways of using wood, and to encourage the use of wood as a building material.

The plan also focuses on developing the technology of building with timber, especially in multi-storey buildings, with a view to increasing energy efficiency. It also calls for research into new ways of using hardwood, whose share of the timber market is growing.