Check out these facts about Sungkai wood: Moderate durability, with requiredtreatment. Oak forests have to be managed carefully to make them sustainable,grown and harvested in the right way, but it can be done. Silver maple (Acer saccharinum) is native to non-coastal areas of the eastern United States. Whether or not your wood floorboards are hardwood or engineered also plays a role in whether or not the wood is considered sustainable. Mahogany's fine texture and deep, rich color have made it the world's choice for fine furniture for centuries. Unfortunately, a lot of these heavily exploited, highly valuable commercial timber species are vulnerable and threatened with commercial extinction due in major part to demand from consumer markets. http://www.earthsourcewood.com/fscbuilding.aspx, EarthSource Forest Products. Its great to hear you are looking to be responsible with your chooses in flooring. It's harvested sustainably from Pennsylvania's 2.2 million acres of FSC-certified state forests. Salt Lake City: Gibbs Smith, Publisher, 2003. The leaf of the sugar maple adorns the Canadian flag. In this article, we'll look at the qualities and uses of five sustainable hardwoods. Jarrah is coarse-grained, and gum-pocket defects are common. Lush and lustrous to begin with, mahogany from the Americas is easy to polish to a smooth, glassy finish. According to NHL.com correspondent Paul Kukla, players soaked the blade of their wooden sticks in water, then closed the blade between a door and the door frame and put pressure on the handle until the blade bent to the desired curve. Any suggestions on which wood to use? Newtown, CT: The Taunton Press, 2005. Everything You Need To Know About Shellac Flakes (FAQs), 11 Types Of Axes Woodworking Tools Guide. Although stiff, it's easy to work with both hand and power tools; it doesn't wear down saw blades much more than softer woods. The growth pattern results in uneven grains that make boards susceptible to splitting. The effects are clear illegal logging leads to wholesale destruction. Sugar maples form the hard type, which is also valued for extremely white sap wood. Plus, if you choose to source from the U.S., you can avoid extra transportation emissions from importing exotic wood. If you want to show off the beauty of wood in your project, maple's a great choice. 1997. (Accessed 10/01/2009). http://www.na.fs.fed.us/pubs/silvics_manual/Volume_2/fraxinus/americana.htm, Uchytil, Ronald J. This durable material can be stained in many different colors, making it a flexible choice with an appearance thats easy to customize. It's suitable for tough-use applications such as flooring, railroad ties, dock and harbor installations and heavy construction. The FSC logo is something you can rely on, and theres also the PEFC logo, a sign that the Because the wood is hard, you'll need to drill pilot holes for your screws and nails. Wood also has uses you don't see: the framing inside your home's walls and the pallets that store inventory for the stores where you shop. http://maple.dnr.cornell.edu/pubs/trees.htm, EarthSource Forest Products. FSC flooring products are internationally recognised as meeting these exacting standards and treating the environment responsibly. The Biggest Differences Between Engineered Wood Flooring and Laminate. The heartwood starts out with pink, salmon and red tones that age to rich reds and browns. Enter a zip below and get matched to top-rated pros near you. "PA a Keystone for FSC." Bore into black cherry on the next page. Both are very hard woods with a proven track record of durability in turn-of-the-century houses. It is important that any wood considered is PEFC (Programme for Endorsement of Forest Certification)or FSC ( Forest Stewardship Council). Twitter, It happensthousands of miles from home, exotic and remote. You can grow your own ash wood right in your front yard. Softwood: What Are The Differences? (Accessed 10/01/2009). Softer and less dense than white ash and oak, cherry is easy to machine, nail and glue. (Accessed 10/01/2009). Growing from Newfoundland to Miami and as far west as Minnesota, red maple (Acer rubrum) is one of the most abundant trees in eastern North America. There are links in the above blog for both organisations for full details on why and how to get sustainable wood for your projects. But buying unsustainable wood has a profound effect on the areas where its harvested, including human rights abuses,hunting of endangered species, threatening the lifestyles and even the lives of indigenous tribes, as well asmaking countless rare and threatened creatures homeless. Hi, Im doing a GCSE in woodwork and I have to make a creative solution for a greener world and I have chosen to make a chopping board. Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry. Light to dark brown, rich in tannins and straight-grained with long rays that contribute to figuring, it's the most popular choice for hardwood cabinets, high on the list for flooring and home furnishings, and valued in the construction of bridges, barrels and boats. Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry. Outdoor furniture commonly features teak, but its environmental impacts may cause you to think again. In: Fire Effects Information System. Sustainable wood, also called eco-friendly or responsibly sourced wood, comes from forests with specific preservation considerations. And that's just the hardwoods. Kiln-drying stops the decay and preserves the unique figures in the wood. Mahogany meets its match in the pale beauty on the next page. Pine is a fast-growing timber that is more sustainable than oak due to how quickly it grows. Most trees large enough for commercial use grow in the Allegheny Plateau of Pennsylvania, New York and West Virginia. Itsgreat news for the future, with EU forests actually growing instead of diminishing. Use sharp blades and work slowly to minimize damage. Kiln-dried, turned and clear-coated, white ash becomes the driving force of line-drives and grand slams in America's pastime, baseball. It glues well and holds screws tightly. http://www.earthsourcewood.com/fscbuilding.aspx, Forest Stewardship Council. "For Wood Lovers." April 6, 2008. (Accessed 09/29/2009). "5 Sustainable Hardwoods" "Domestic Lumber." My apologies for the delay in getting back to you. Since this type of wood doesnt use the entire piece of hardwood for a single board, it requires less timber. Do you have any advise? Maple is a great choice for your building needs. Thank you for getting in touch but unfortunately I can help you on this occasion. "Silver Maple (Acer saccharinum)." Irresponsible logging leads to deforestation, pollution of waterways from erosion runoff, and the removal of a major resource in the carbon cycle -- a whole forest of oxygen-producing, carbon dioxide-absorbing trees. Instagram pages. In Malaysia, for example, timber production demands more trees than there are in existence. http://www.na.fs.fed.us/pubs/silvics_manual/volume_2/acer/rubrum.htm, Zemtseff, Katie. Sustaining Forests. http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/tree/pruser/all.html, United States Geological Survey. Theircertification system provides internationally recognised standard-setting andtrademark assurance to anyone, business or individual, who isinterested in supporting responsible forestry. http://www.fscus.org/news/archive.php?article=233&, Forest Stewardship Council. USDA Forest Service. Engineered wood is more environmentally-friendly than solid hardwood because engineered wood is a combination of layers of thinly sliced pieces of hardwood with a sturdy plywood base. "Low-Cost Lumber." The soft variety bends easily for curved furniture and stair railings. If you are concerned that a supplier is mis using the logo you are able to check and report on these websites also. Since theyre so fast-growing, poplar trees can quickly replenish forests. Because it was abundant and had qualities similar to mahogany, cherry was often used to make furniture in Colonial America. Based on the simple fact that maple has a shorter growing life than white oak, I would be justified in saying that maple is one of the most sustainable tree species of the five you list. An extensive audit process was undertaken before FlooringSupplies.co.uk was allowed to sell FSC flooring, but now approximately half of our Natura range of engineered wood floors is certified by the FSC, as well as a number of Kahrs engineered products. Brazilian Amazon deforestation might not seem very relevant. Below are nine kinds of woods to consider when planning your eco-friendly home remodel: White ash is a tree that grows in North America, and you can use it for all kinds of woodwork, including flooring, furniture, doors, decks, and more. Poplar trees are easy to sustainably log because of their growth standards, making them a great alternative to walnut hardwood. Can you tell me which species of wood tend to be more sustainable? A birch tree, which takes a third to half as long as an oak tree to reach maturity, is often seen to be a fairly sustainable wood source (out of the five species you list). Black cherry is the only cherry tree that grows large enough to have commercial value. Heather Kolich Upper Saddle River, NJ: Creative Homeowner, 2008. More northerly in its range, the Sugar maple (Acer saccharum) is an important tree in Canada. Ash stains beautifully, but if you're looking for a smooth, glassy surface, you'll need to fill the characteristic open pores with pore filler before finishing the piece. "Minnesota Wild-Colorado Avalanche Game Breakers." Varieties of black cherry grow throughout the eastern and central United States. Durability and aesthetics determine the useful life of a wood product in your home. Not all pieces of white oak flooring are alike when it comes to the environmental impact that went into making it. "Digital Representations of Tree Species Range Maps from 'Atlas of United States Trees' by Elbert L. Little, Jr. (and other publications)." (Accessed 09/30/2009). Teak is a sought after wood and is currently growing in sustainability due to popular demand. The first answer is what most people believe based on how many years it takes a particular species to reach maturity and be harvested. Depending on availability, you might get lucky and find exotic reclaimed wood. Red oak species thrive throughout the eastern United States and southeastern Canada. Red oak doesn't repel water like white oak does, and traces of iron in water will stain the wood dark. U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service. Sustainable wood carries this seal, which ensures that: The wood was logged without the use of clear-cutting practices that lead to deforestation, The forests management maintains the native plants and wildlife, Timber is harvested from mature trees, which are slower at capturing carbon from the air compared to young trees. "More Than 100 Million Acres of forest in the United States and Canada Now Managed to Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Standards." Sadly, money often speaks louder than common sense and today is often more important than the future. It forms the furniture you sit on, the floor you walk on, the cabinets that store your dishes, the doors that secure your home, the frames that hold your treasured photos, the clock that chimes the hours, and perhaps even the trim in your car. Janka hardness rating: 1,320 pounds-force (ibf), Light in color with straight, regular grain. There are two ways of answering this question. Wagner, John D. Green Remodeling: Your Start Toward an Eco-Friendly Home. Bamboo grows across vast areas of the earth in Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, north Australia and the Americas. Royal Roads University. Because the lawplaces a minimum requirement on replacingharvested trees as well as limiting annual harvests, buying European woodis usuallya safe choice. Working with Wood. The second answer is what I believe, based more on the relative hardness of the wood and its aesthetic qualities. Highly figured boards are prone to tearing and chipping when you cut or plane them. See more. Thanks. If you dont want to support illegal loggingor encourage deforestation, you needto be aware of how to buy sustainable wood. Daily Journal of Commerce, July 9, 2009. (Accessed 09/30/2009). Oak and hickory can grow for several hundred years, and while we don't wait that long anymore to harvest them, they still take substantially longer to reach harvest maturity than the other trees you mention. Pinewood is very versatile and, despite it being a softwood, you can use it for furniture, floors, cabinets, and molding. It's somewhat brittle, though, and may split, chip or crack if you drop it or ask it to carry too much weight. http://www.thewoodbox.com/data/wood/index.htm, Marquis, David A. http://www.royalroads.ca/news/robert-bateman-centre-royal-roads-university-receive-500000-gift-sustainable-mahogany-waterfore, Schlesinger, Roger C. "White Ash." To ensure that you are getting wood from a sustainable source the wood should have the FSC 100% or the PCFE logo printed on it, if not on the wood on the paperwork that comes with the wood. The spalted effect is different in origin than the others. Thanks, Tom. http://www.waterforest.com/pdf/djc_article-july9-09.pdf, Special Offer on Antivirus Software From HowStuffWorks and TotalAV Security. It seems impossible. (Accessed 09/22/2009). Although hard, this wood takes well to machining and hand tools, and can be stained and sanded to a good surface. "Underwater forests: The final logging frontier?" "Red Maple." I live in Wiltshire. Simply because theyre replaceable, fast-growing species like Pine trees tend to be more sustainable than slow-growing trees like Oak. If your selection is highly figured, use fine blades and small cuts to avoid tearing and chipping. Kenney, Matt. The grain can be straight or wavy, with swirl, quilted or ribbon stripe figures commonly occurring. Rae, Andy. (Accessed 09/22/2009). June 24,2009. Good Green Homes: Creating better homes for a healthier planet. Is there any way you can tell if the wood came from a sustainable source. It's a coarse-textured wood with strength comparable to oak, but because it's less dense, ash is easier to work with. July 24, 2009. Here are a few facts about black cherry wood: Straight-grained with some figured patterns. USDA Forest Service. Wood sourced fromAsia, Africa,South America and even the USA and Canada comes with fewer guarantees. Currently, FSC manages approximately 572 million acres of forests in 89 different countries. They must document the journey of the lumber from forest to retail shelves with a chain-of-custody paper trail to prove that the wood was harvested legally from a certified sustainable forest. 13 October 2009. A few ways that wood materials are identified as sustainable include: Maintaining and protecting the native animals and plants that live in the forests, Protecting native trees from invasive species, Keeping forests free of byproducts that create greenhouse gases, organic compounds, and phosphorus. FSC flooring will feature the organisations logo, so you can quickly tell if the product you are considering is environmentally friendly., Heres an interesting little video about British grown sustainable wood. The Wood Box, January 2007. page. Cherry is blessed with a straight grain and fine texture. Mahogany is also a good material for decking around pools and hot tubs. Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry. Look for the U.S. Forest Stewardship Council certification or the Greenguard label. Wavy growth rings give it interest and personality, and it often presents with a swirl figure. There have been questions about wood from some EU sources, for exampleillegal logging has long been suspected in Russian and Siberian forests. (Accessed 09/30/2009). Here are some additional facts about alder wood: Most similar to cherry, birch, or maple wood. A very soft wood like reclaimed Douglas fir or heart pine can outlast a hardwood like maple if you apply a repairable finish and maintain your floor. Last winter one got badly damaged in a storm and so for the safety of the public we cut down the tree as we could not prune it into a safe condition. While you cant buyFSC certified Bamboo, the woodcan be sustainable. Eco home remodeling doesnt mean you have to give up on your dream kitchen or living room. And much of the time its harvested unsustainably despite the best efforts of conservationists, governments and lawmakers. You'll need to drill pilot holes for nails and screws, and be sure to use only galvanized fasteners since the tannins in oak react chemically with iron. Black cherry sounds as deep and red as it looks. (Accessed 09/29/2009). If you are absolutely set on teak, walnut, wenge, or mahogany wood in your home but still want to find a way to make your purchase more eco-friendly, opt for reclaimed wood. In terms of which wood to use, there are many many suitable option but perhaps one that is popular for it sustainability at the moment is Bamboo. We are looking at maple, oak, cherry, birch, and hickory. With about 1500 species its very versatile, and can be harvested in 3-5 years compared with10-20 years for most softwoods. White oak is prominent in the eastern half of the United States, with the exception of Florida and areas along the Gulf Coast. "Pennsylvania Cherry Proves a Popular Wood." Alder is an abundant tree that is easy to manage in forests. Year-old seedlings are planted to reclaim old surface mines and re-establish viable forest communities. Furniture-quality mahogany comes from Central and South America and the Caribbean. Could you please tell us if there is a way of getting this tree into the buyers market Regards Helen Macleod, It certainly seems a shame to waste the Oak but this is not something we deal with and so I do not know the answer I am afraid. It is a fast growing grass that has the strength and durability of a hardwood, this is perhaps something that you could look in to as an option. Heres what else you need to know about poplar wood: Beechwood is commonly found in furniture, cabinets, and flooring because of its resistance to wear and tear, making it perfect for homes with pets or frequent foot traffic. Everything You Should Know About Sustainable Wood, Programme for the Endorsement of Forestry Certification, You can read more about their sustainabilityhere. It's still highly valued today for the lustrous glow that it brings to furniture, cabinets, flooring, paneling, doors and trim. Since this wood is not endangered and grows quickly, its a great alternative to cherry or even walnut. From a cost perspective, birch, oak, and maple are generally the least expensive for flooring. The wood in your homefrom the exterior to the interior walls, doors, and floorscan make all the difference between that warm, country niche and a cool, modern design. USDA Forest Service. You have entered an incorrect email address! (Accessed 09/22/2009). Does your taste in wood run to something with more personality? Of all the trees grown in the mixed-wood, FSC-certified forests of Pennsylvania, cherry is the most valuable. http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=486976#&navid=nhl-search, Lacasse, Roger and Karen. This shock-resisting wood is also known for its ability to deliver slap-shots in chilly ice arenas, sink snooker balls in smoky parlors and navigate a thrilling whitewater run. Visit the Solution Center to Explore Articles. Here at Wood Finishes direct our specialty is finishes for wood and a good choice for a chopping board is Morrells Tung Oil it is a very moisture resistant finish ideal for worktops and food prep areas. In some areas there are no trees left and wood is beingsmuggled in from Indonesia to meet demand. The best part is that its environmentally friendly because youre not purchasing brand new wood from at-risk tree species. Do you supply this or can you advise where I might buy it? The workhorse of sustainable mahogany is the dense, irregularly grained Australian variety, Jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata). In 2008, this translated into 10.7 billion board feet of U.S.-produced hardwood lumber [source: Associated Press]. Maple is dense, so pre-bore holes for nails and screws. This wood presents with a variety of figures: bird's-eye, curly, fiddleback, quilted, spalted and swirl. In the 1960s, hockey players learned that they could control the puck better -- and deliver powerful slap shots -- if they curved the blade of their stick. "Black Cherry." Varieties of white oak also grow in Oregon and California. Any help and/or advice you could offer would be greatly appreciated. Alternatively, see our Here are more quick facts about pine wood: Straight-grained with many dark, porous rings, Fast-growing and tall, providing lots of wood per tree.
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