Spatial impact of mineral quarrying versus afforestation

If alternative and secondary raw materials are used, the demand for the aggregates - coarse sand, gravel and limestone - will decrease. The opinion has been voiced more and more to turn to wood for building, particularly because wood is a renewable raw material. Besides, the Dutch climate is very suitable for growing trees. The discussion whether wood is better than concrete is in full swing. There may, however, never be a complete answer to this question.
In this article it has been calculated how much of our surface has to be covered with woods, should we turn to wood for building in The Netherlands. It may be expected that in the distant future The Netherlands will never be self-sufficient as far as the use of wood for the building industry is concerned. Compared to excavating, the space required for growing wood is considerably larger. It is estimated that during a period of 100 years, 10 to 60 times more space will be needed for growing wood for building in wood than for quarrying aggregates for building in concrete.