Green YBC
Every York Bridge™ is Decero™ designed to last a lifetime — executed and constructed in the most environmentally-friendly way possible. We take strategic steps when constructing every bridge to reduce our environmental footprint.
At YBC, we primarily use southern yellow pine and douglas fir for our timber structures. According to the Southern Pine Council, “Wood contributes far fewer greenhouse gas emissions than its non-renewable counterparts, steel and concrete. Although wood products make up 47 percent of all raw materials made in the United States, its share of energy consumption during production is only 4 percent of all manufactured materials.”
Each York Bridge™ uses timber treatments that extend the life of the timbers by providing protection from insects and/or fungi. These treatments extend the life expectancy of timber to well over 50 years. By extending the life of the bridge, repair and/or replacement is minimized. Learn more about timber materials.
Preventing pollution is a key policy in national environmental protection activities. Our team supports and upholds these guidelines with anticipation and provision — never as an afterthought. We take special care when executing our projects to have minimal impact on our surroundings:
- Deck level construction can be utilized so that equipment never touches the environment. Learn more about deck-level construction.
- Designing and building the foundation of the bridge outside of sensitive areas is sometimes necessary so that the environment is not disturbed— we then build from the deck of the bridge.
- We work with permitting agencies and honor permit requirements to be sure that we not only meet but exceed environmental standards.
- Our construction crews continuously clean up wood shavings, saw dust and cut offs, leaving no excess lumber or debris in the wetlands or marshes.
- Proper silt fencing keeps mud and debris from entering wetlands and/or protected areas.
York Timber Protective Systems™ assist in increasing timber bridge longevity and are recommended on ALL timber structures. A well-maintained York Bridge™ will not need replacement for 50 or more years, decreasing the need for additional construction and preventing additional landfill increase. Learn more about York Timber Protective Systems™.
