FORT Fencing
Agricultural & Equine Fencing
World Earth Day 2024
22 April 2024
FORT are the leading local suppliers of building materials, and we supply everything that our customers need to complete their projects in line with their clients’ requirements. Ultimately, we are here to deliver what the customer wants.
Construction is responsible for a massive part of overall carbon emissions globally, concrete is a very large contributor but many other base materials are also very energy intensive. Making goods as close to the point of construction will reduce energy use just through lower transport, but in many instances the products and materials required will come from long distances. Ideally, FORT enjoys trying to persuade our customers and their clients to consider options that will be longer lasting, energy efficient and positive on insulation values. FORT are aware of global human issues, such as child labour and do our utmost to either mitigate or eliminate all of the negatives.
A great, but also sad, example is the quarrying and conversion of sandstone in India, where child labour has been historically prevalent. Taking an immediate and sweeping change by instantly banning this practice also has consequences, as some families rely upon the entire family income, but the industry has invested significantly in ways to ensure that children go to school and have regular meals so that they do not have to work in these poor conditions. There are many similar examples and as FORT is a member of a large buying group that has strong and detailed oversight of ethical and responsible purchasing, we are working hard to eliminate poor practice.
Ultimately there is one staple material which helps to mitigate climate change and reduce Co2 emissions – Wood!
At a basic level tree’s absorb carbon and Co2 while they grow and they’re especially absorbent during their early growth phase. In broad terms a cubic metre of wood (the size of a large washing machine) will store and retain 350kg of carbon and 1 tonne of Co2. What’s more, wood needs relatively low levels of energy to grow, fell, saw and turn into building products; it’s also fairly light in comparison to steel and concrete.
Once the wood products are in the building that Co2 and carbon is locked away.
So, using wood makes a lot of sense, but only when the forests have been managed responsibly and the impacts of harvesting do not impact negatively on local populations. Cutting down trees is very emotive, because they are large objects, but essentially when done in a managed way, this is a farming process similar to cropping cereals. Leaving trees beyond their reasonable lifespan reduces their environmental benefits.
Wood is endlessly resourceful. There are a multitude of new and exciting products which are expanding the possibilities for the use of wood in construction. What’s more, wood has been proven to be a very beneficial product to use inside buildings, improving ‘Wellness’ and generally making a better place to live or work.
FORT work very closely with our supply base, to ensure that all of our timber stock products are certified as being Legal and Sustainable. Where Customers require specific products, FORT will always make every effort to ensure that the least impactful product is offered.
FORT also have developed another method of producing traditional low-cost buildings that blend into their rural surroundings. We work with a local sawmill and can produce all the timber sections needed to build barns, garages, carports, garden rooms and offices. In many instances we can provide a building solution that sources, cuts, and delivers timber sections using tress that had grown within 20 miles of their final building site. That must be the optimal way to build responsibly. The UK also produces a surprising amount of timber. While higher grades almost without fail must come from Europe, that still leaves a lot of home-grown timber. There are also residues from sawmilling which go into OSB, MDF and Chipboard, while the unusable waste is burned to generate energy.
In summary FORT are here to help, advise and encourage our customers and their clients to take the optimal route that helps us all to do our bit to reduce climate change and maintain the biodiversity of this amazing planet.