Environmental Impact Calculator
Every board foot of reclaimed lumber you use is a measurable win for the environment. Enter your project size below and see the numbers for yourself.
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Calculate Your Impact
Enter the total board footage of reclaimed lumber you plan to use, and we'll show you the environmental benefit compared to harvesting new timber.
Enter the total board footage for your project, or select a preset below.
0.0 tons
CO2 Emissions Prevented
Equivalent to taking 0.0 cars off the road for a year
0 trees
Trees Saved (Equivalent)
Mature trees that remain standing in our forests
0.0 yd³
Landfill Space Saved
Cubic yards of waste diverted from the waste stream
0 gal
Water Saved
Gallons of water not consumed in new lumber production
Our Methodology
The calculations above are based on peer-reviewed research and industry-standard conversion factors. Here is how we arrive at each number.
CO2 Emissions Prevented
This factor accounts for three avoided emission sources: (1) the carbon released when demolished wood decomposes in a landfill or is burned, (2) the emissions from harvesting, transporting, and milling new timber, and (3) the continued carbon sequestration in the standing trees that are not harvested. The 1.5 lbs CO2-equivalent per board foot figure is derived from the USDA Forest Products Laboratory lifecycle assessment data and EPA waste reduction models, adjusted for the average species mix in our regional inventory.
Trees Saved (Equivalent)
A mature hardwood tree in the eastern United States yields approximately 250 usable board feet of lumber after accounting for bark, sapwood waste, sawmill kerf, and drying losses. This figure is a conservative industry average — softwood species may yield slightly more, while smaller-diameter trees yield less. The calculation represents the number of trees that would need to be harvested to produce an equivalent amount of new lumber.
Landfill Space Saved
Without salvage operations, most demolition lumber ends up in construction and demolition (C&D) landfills. One board foot equals approximately 1/12 of a cubic foot of solid wood. However, demolition waste is not packed efficiently — boards are broken, tangled with other materials, and mixed with debris. The 150 BF-per-cubic-yard factor accounts for this inefficient packing based on EPA C&D waste characterization studies.
Water Saved
Commercial lumber production is water-intensive. Water is used in log transport (flumes and sprinkler decks), sawmill operations (blade cooling and dust suppression), kiln drying (steam generation), and chemical treatment. The 5.4 gallons per board foot figure represents the average water consumption across the full new-lumber production cycle, based on data from the National Council for Air and Stream Improvement (NCASI). Reclaimed lumber processing uses a fraction of this — primarily water for our kiln's dehumidification system.
A Note on Accuracy
These calculations are estimates intended to illustrate the order of magnitude of environmental benefit. Actual impacts vary based on species, the specific lumber production process being replaced, transportation distances, and end-of-life scenarios. For LEED documentation or formal environmental impact statements, we can provide more precise calculations tailored to your project's specific material and logistics profile.
How Reclaimed Lumber Earns LEED Credits
The U.S. Green Building Council's LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system awards points for material reuse. Reclaimed lumber can contribute to multiple credit categories.
MR Credit: Building Product Reuse
LEED v4.1 awards up to 2 points under Materials & Resources for reusing salvaged, refurbished, or reused building products. Using reclaimed lumber for structural framing, flooring, or paneling directly contributes to this credit. The threshold is typically 5% of total material cost (by value) for 1 point and 10% for 2 points.
MR Credit: Construction Waste Management
Projects that divert construction and demolition waste from landfills earn points under waste management credits. When you source reclaimed lumber from our salvage operations, the material is being diverted from the waste stream by definition. We provide waste diversion documentation that supports your LEED submission.
MR Credit: Environmental Product Declarations
While reclaimed lumber does not carry a traditional EPD, we provide lifecycle documentation including salvage source, processing methods, and transportation data. This information supports Innovation in Design credits and can be included in whole-building lifecycle assessment (WBLCA) calculations that increasingly favor reused materials.
MR Credit: Regional Materials
Reclaimed lumber sourced from within 500 miles of the project site qualifies for regional materials credit under LEED. All of our inventory is sourced from the Philadelphia tri-state region — typically within 100 miles. This satisfies the regional sourcing requirement with considerable margin and reduces the transportation-related environmental footprint of your material.
Need help documenting reclaimed lumber for your LEED submission? Our green consulting team has supported over 30 LEED-certified projects in the Philadelphia region.
The Bigger Picture
1M+
Board Feet Processed
Since our founding in 2010, we have processed over one million board feet of reclaimed lumber.
1,500+
Tons CO2 Prevented
The cumulative carbon impact of our reclaimed operations over fifteen years.
4,000+
Trees Standing
The equivalent number of mature trees preserved by choosing reclaimed over new.
Construction and demolition waste accounts for roughly 600 million tons of material entering U.S. landfills each year — more than twice the amount of municipal solid waste. Wood makes up a significant fraction of that stream. Most of it is perfectly reusable, but the economics and logistics of salvage have historically made it easier to dump and replace.
Every project that specifies reclaimed lumber chips away at that equation. It is not just about the carbon math or the water savings, though those numbers are real and significant. It is about demonstrating that reuse is practical, cost-competitive, and aesthetically superior — that the “sustainable option” is also the better product.
When your clients walk into a room paneled with 150-year-old heart pine that you saved from a Kensington textile mill, they are not thinking about lifecycle assessments. They are thinking about how beautiful it looks. The environmental impact is a bonus — and that is exactly how sustainable building should work.
Ready to Build Sustainably?
Let us help you find the reclaimed lumber that fits your project, your budget, and your environmental goals. Every board has a story — let's write the next chapter together.