Are you looking for information about sustainably sourced wood? If you are, I am glad you are. This topic is very important to me as an architect and home builder. I have watched the changes over the past twenty years and the devastation that can be caused when the resource behind the building or home we are building is not sustainably sourced. In this article, I will explain what it is and how you can help by using only sustainably sourced lumber.
What Does It Mean?
So what is “sustainable lumber”? In the United States, lumber comes from trees that have been grown with the assistance of modern technology, such as genetically altered plants or bark beetles. The term sustainable refers to the fact that the lumber does not come from shrinking forests or from places that are severely affected by global warming. What is important is that the lumber used in North American homes today is responsibly harvested, not from sapling trees that are usually taken from the forest when they are still young. In other words, when you buy sustainable lumber products, you know you are buying something that has already been cut down – and the trees have not yet had their lives ended.
So, where do you find sustainable lumber? In the old days, lumber was harvested from the forest in the late parts of the year, after the sap on the trees had flowered and there was nothing more to harvest from them. That practice of harvesting is now illegal in the United States, as is the method of cutting trees with chainsaws or with a saw that is more than two decades old. However, if you know where your lumber comes from, this may not be an issue for you. Unfortunately, there are lumber mills all over the country that are still using the old-fashioned method of harvesting and that is contributing to the deforestation crisis. Fortunately, there are new companies that purchase sustainable lumber from sustainable forests and supply products that are both beautiful and environmentally friendly.
Benefits
You can choose from a variety of different sustainably sourced woods for your home, including maple, ash, bamboo, cork, ash wood and teak. These timbers are naturally durable, so your products will look great for years. And, when it comes to flooring, they come in a variety of different shades and colours. They also offer a wide range of beautiful, ornate hardwood flooring options, including walnut, oak, mahogany, maple and beech. This means you will be able to match your existing decor perfectly or create a completely new, modern look for your home.
Another benefit to purchasing sustainably sourced products is that they are biodegradable and make no contribution to the greenhouse gases being generated in the earth’s atmosphere. Some products made from these forests have been called carbon-neutral because they reduce the amount of carbon dioxide released into the air. This means that the products made from sustainable, old-growth American hardwood trees can help to reduce our carbon footprint.
If you want to purchase sustainably sourced wood, you need to understand that it comes from the heartwood of the main tree. So, if you buy a desk, table or shelving unit made from maple, oak or cherry, you’re buying products made from the heartwood of those trees, which have been harvested over the decades. The trees used in the creation of these products are old and mature and know that harvesting them is important for their future survival. So, it’s in their own best interests to harvest these trees as quickly as possible, to ensure that the world’s forests are not depleted.
Wooden Products
When you buy wooden products, such as furniture, they’re usually made from fast-growing trees, which means that the life cycle of the timbers is relatively short. This means that the timbers are much more likely to break or chip than older, dying trees would be. This is important because many of these types of products are being designed for use in buildings, where they need to last a long time. For example, cabinets and dressers that are being made from oak timbers are designed to withstand years of heavy daily use. They’re also often painted with a very durable colour so that they continue to look good even after several years of heavy daily use. Because these manufacturers want to use the highest quality materials, they often have to buy their products from a leading supplier who can provide them with the highest quality timbers.
This has made it easier for companies to make sure that they’re using responsibly sourced wood, without putting their employees at risk. Timbers harvested from sustainable sources can also help to reduce the number of landfills that become overfilled with plastic, which can harm the environment badly. As well as this, sustainably sourced wood is easier to recycle, as it doesn’t have to be broken down to create new products. This means that all the furniture and other building products that you buy will be made from one, natural material, rather than a mixture of different materials that may not be as biodegradable. For this reason, many people prefer to buy this way, as they’re able to ensure that the amount of rubbish produced is kept to a minimum. It’s important to remember though, that buying sustainably sourced wood or materials is only going to make a difference if you ensure that you’re using it responsibly, and don’t just think that it will save you money in the short term.