Softwood

Softwood species are coniferous trees, usually produced in plantations. Softwood comes mainly from Northern Europe, North America, Russia, Japan and New Zealand, although it is commonly found in most temperate regions.

Because softwood comes from fast growing trees, it has a good sustainability profile in terms of land use. The most used type of softwood are spruce, pine and douglas fir.

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The life cycle	Pro	Con
	Low footprint Softwood species are fast growing, meaning that with the same amount of land more wood can be produced each year.		Tips Look for FSC wood to make sure it was not cut from old-growth forests. This is an issue in Europe and North America as well.
	Low Energy Pine, spruce and fir are grown widely across the globe, in Europe, North America, South America, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Russia to name a few.		Tips Make sure you get your softwood as local as possible.
	Low cost Softwood is cheaper than hardwood, even when it is FSC certified Quick Species like pine and spruce are soft, therefore easy to cut and sand. Non toxic Softwood is the safest type of wood material. Safer than that of composite products such as plywood or particle board, that contain resins, and safer than some hardwoods that are irritant or allergenic.

	Non toxic Although all wood products emit some formaldehyde in the first months of use, massive wood has much lower emissions than wood products.	Short lifespan Softwood is less resistant to scratches, and often it has knots and imperfections that can lead to shorter durability. When exposed to humidity it can also deform. Show Alternatives » Alternatives materials that have a long lifespan Northern hardwood Scaffolding wood Tropical hardwood

	Easy recycling Untreated softwood can be recycled in wood products or as fuel.