Episode Details

Wood feels renewable in a way plastic never does. Trees grow back. The carbon math seems cleaner. But the scale of global industrial demand tells a messier story. This episode examines wood as a commodity in 2026 — which species actually move the global economy, where deforestation stands halfway to the 2030 goals, and whether replacing plastic with wood is actually sustainable at scale. From pine and eucalyptus plantations to primary tropical forest loss in Brazil and the Congo Basin, we explore the uncomfortable tradeoffs hiding behind the word "wood.