Introduction

Abstract

This chapter introduces important environmental and resource crises, describes how increased production and use of forest products are important means for tackling these crises, but stresses that forest products are not necessarily environmentally superior to non-forest products. Furthermore, the chapter underlines the need for carrying out life cycle assessments (LCAs) to evaluate the environmental performance of forests products, and to guide decision making aimed at ensuring that future forest products make sense in environmental terms. The need for improving the methods and practices for LCA of forest products is explained, which leads to the purpose of the book, which is to (i) provide an introduction to some of the key challenges of carrying out LCAs, (ii) suggest means for handling some of the challenges with examples from LCA case studies, and (iii) indicate important research needs to improve LCA methods and practices. It is emphasised that the book can function as a gateway into the literature on LCAs of forest products, and that the main intended audience is the experienced LCA practitioner, but also less experienced LCA practitioners and others interested in the environmental opportunities and challenges of forests products can hopefully find the book interesting and valuable.