Permanent storage

The IPCC explicitly recognizes timber used in construction as a valid pathway for permanent carbon storage, provided the service life exceeds 50 years. This recognition is grounded in the treatment of Harvested Wood Products (HWPs) within the IPCC’s greenhouse gas inventory guidelines.

🌲 Timber in Buildings as Carbon Storage

According to the IPCC and supporting literature:

• Biogenic carbon stored in long-lived wood products (like dimensional lumber or engineered timber) is considered sequestered for the duration of the product’s life.

• If the service life exceeds 50 years, the carbon is treated as effectively removed from the atmosphere for climate accounting purposes.

• This aligns with first-order decay models used in IPCC reporting, where long-lived products shift carbon from short-term pools to semi-permanent reservoirs.

🧱 Implications for Construction

• Timber buildings designed for ≥50-year service life qualify as carbon removal pathways under frameworks like:
  
  

  • CRCF (EU Carbon Removal Certification Framework)

  • VCS (Verified Carbon Standard)

  • CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive)

• This supports the use of DfD-ready timber kits with Digital Product Passports, enabling traceability and verification of stored carbon.