Forest products can store carbon, substitute for more carbon-intensive materials, and create new pathways for using harvested wood and forest residues. Our group develops advanced life cycle models that integrate forest dynamics, economic analysis, and the manufacturing, use, and end-of-life of durable wood products. The goal is to identify science-based strategies for using forests and wood products in ways that deliver system-wide carbon benefits while remaining economically viable and ecologically responsible.
Research Themes
Forest carbon, land use, and durable wood products
Expanding the use of durable wood products, such as mass timber, can reshape product markets, material supply chains, and forest management. Our research examines how wood product transitions influence forest carbon and land-use outcomes across regional and global scales, especially when material substitution benefits interact with forest growth, harvest decisions, and market responses.
Afforestation and reforestation
Afforestation and reforestation can support carbon storage, biodiversity, and rural economic opportunities when designed for appropriate ecological and socioeconomic contexts. Our group develops and evaluates forest-based strategies that connect natural regeneration, commercial plantations, marginal land use, durable wood products, biochar, and broader ecosystem outcomes.
Engineered Wood and Forest-Based Materials
Innovations in engineered wood, lignocellulosic materials, and wood-derived polymers are expanding the use of forest-based resources in buildings, packaging, textiles, and other material systems. Our research evaluates how these emerging uses of wood and forest-based materials can support sustainable material transitions, with attention to scalable production, responsible resource use, and end-of-life management.
Circular Use of Woody Biomass
Woody biomass from forests, urban landscapes, and pulp-based systems can be used in circular pathways for materials, fuels, carbon storage, and resource recovery. Our research evaluates how biomass sourcing, residue removal, manufacturing processes, and end-use pathways affect carbon outcomes, soil health, and broader environmental impacts.
Selected Related Publications
Lan, K., Favero, A., Yao, Y., Mendelsohn, R.O., and Wang, H.S.-H. (2025). Global land and carbon consequences of mass timber products. Nature Communications, 16, 4864. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-60245-y
Zhang, B., Lan, K., Yang, F., Xu, Y., Piotto, D., Ashton, M., and Yao, Y. (2025). Innovative reforestation mosaics on marginal land in the globally important Mata Atlântica biome can create climate and economic co-benefits. One Earth, 8(5), 101306. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oneear.2025.101306
Yao, Y. (2024). A woody biomass burial. Science, 385, 1417–1418. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.ads2592
Zhang, B., Lan, K., Harris, T.B., Ashton, M.S., and Yao, Y. (2023). Climate-smart forestry through innovative wood products and commercial afforestation and reforestation on marginal land. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 120(23), e2221840120. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2221840120
Ding, Y., Pang, Z., Lan, K., Yao, Y., Panzarasa, G., Xu, L., Lo Ricco, M., Rammer, D.R., Zhu, J.Y., Hu, M., Pan, X., Li, T., Burgert, I., and Hu, L. (2023). Emerging engineered wood for building applications. Chemical Reviews, 123(5), 1843–1888. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemrev.2c00450
Lan, K., Zhang, B., and Yao, Y. (2022). Circular utilization of urban tree waste contributes to the mitigation of climate change and eutrophication. One Earth, 5(8), 944–957. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oneear.2022.07.001
Li, Z., Chen, C., Xie, H., Yao, Y., Zhang, X., Brozena, A., Li, J., Ding, Y., Zhao, X., Hong, M., Qiao, H., Smith, L.M., Pan, X., Briber, R., Shi, S.Q., and Hu, L. (2022). Sustainable high-strength macrofibres extracted from natural bamboo. Nature Sustainability, 5, 235–244. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-021-00831-2
Xiao, S., Chen, C., Xia, Q., Liu, Y., Yao, Y., Chen, Q., Hartsfield, M., Brozena, A., Tu, K., Eichhorn, S.J., Yao, Y., Li, J., Gan, W., Shi, S.Q., Yang, V.W., Lo Ricco, M., Zhu, J.Y., Burgert, I., Luo, A., Li, T., and Hu, L. (2021). Lightweight, strong, moldable wood via cell wall engineering as a sustainable structural material. Science, 374, 465–471. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abg9556
Xia, Q., Chen, C., Yao, Y., Li, J., He, S., Zhou, Y., Li, T., Pan, X., Yao, Y., and Hu, L. (2021). A strong, biodegradable and recyclable lignocellulosic bioplastic. Nature Sustainability, 4, 627–635. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-021-00702-w
Lan, K., Kelley, S., Nepal, P., and Yao, Y. (2020). Dynamic life cycle carbon and energy analysis for cross-laminated timber in the Southeastern United States. Environmental Research Letters, 15, 124036. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/abc5e6