Increasing the efficiency of resource use has become a major strategy in the pursuit to limit the impacts of resource utilization on the environment. A cascading utilization of resources is generally regarded as a suitable means to achieve such a limitation. The goal of the presented study was to determine whether a cascading utilization of wood is beneficial for the environment compared to the use of primary wood. Additionally we examined the change in efficiency of wood consumption by cascading. We conducted life cycle assessments (LCA) of two scenarios of wood cascading and of reference systems using primary wood resources. The "basket of benefit" method was applied to compare the systems. The efficiency of resource use could be compared by accounting for the necessary wood inputs into the systems. We found that the environmental impacts assessed by LCA were slightly smaller in both cascading scenarios compared to the use of primary wood. Wood was used more efficiently in both cascading scenarios with savings of more than 10 % in one case. Further studies are necessary to arrive at generalized conclusions regarding a cascading utilization of wood. However, our findings indicate positive effects on environmental impacts and efficiency of resource use.