The longer the lifespan of a wooden construction is, the better wood is able to compete with other building materials like steel, plastic or concrete. Like other building materials, wood can be exposed to moisture, fungi and other degrading factors such as insect attack. It is therefore important to study which factors affect the durability of wood, and to understand how wood behaves under various end-use conditions. Stora Enso works to optimise and improve the natural properties of wood. Two commercial examples of this are the WoodHeart and ThermoWood products.

From an environmental viewpoint, timber-framed houses outperform buildings made of competing materials. Wood is a renewable raw material, and construction materials made of wood are recyclable and store carbon for their entire service life. Manufacturing wood products also consumes relatively little energy, most of which is bio-energy generated from by-products such as bark and sawdust.

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