That very much depends on the impacts of climate change on the forest in particular. When we compare the situation on the west coast of British Columbia, where forests can grow to several hundred years of age, the building may not store the carbon longer than the forest would. However, as we have just witnessed in Washington, California and Oregon, even those forests are at risk from climate change.
Among the things we analyze with these tools are the trade-offs and the risks associated with retaining carbon in the forest or harvesting and making use of the carbon. It also differs greatly whether the wood is derived from a stand that was already killed by fire or insects, or from a stand that has the potential to continue to sequester carbon.