Reclaiming Wood
A Compromise to Mankind's Love of Wood
Driving through most neighborhoods you will see the blue or green containers with the three arrow icon emblazoned on the front; that triangle we have all come to recognize as the hope for our planet's future. Schools, news sources, and the waste management companies have all disseminated the power of recycling. “Reduce, reuse, recycle” is as much a recognizable motto today as “Just Say No” had been in the 1980's. Paper, cardboard, plastics and aluminum are collected daily and yet as much as 38 percent of the wood found in United States landfills is reusable. Reclaimed lumber has become a booming new industry and while you would think the products would be cheap, (after all they are just using trash, right?), you'll find they are often times a luxury item.
Will Branch Antique Lumber in Bogalusa, Louisiana turned their lumbering efforts toward reclaimed woods across the entire southern United States twenty-five years ago. After realizing that 'Antique-Heart Pine' was no longer a renewable resource, but durable enough to hold up to reuse, he focused on responsible recovery of this and other fine woods. Sources for reclaimed wood, however, are not only domestic. As areas urbanize or simply modernize, flooring, siding and beams can be recovered from demolished houses, barns, manufacturing mills and from such exotic sources as East Asian Temples, some of which are hundreds of years old. The appeal of these older woods is in their density and durability. It is the unique density of this old growth wood that lends to its beauty, often having a tighter and more defined ring pattern than the younger, fast growth trees of today. The Environmental responsibility of using reclaimed woods is of course another strong appeal, as it reduces the demand for fresh lumber. Companies such as TerraMai deal only in reclaimed wood. TerraMai is based out of northern California but has offices in Manhattan, and works on a global scale.
Reclaimed wood, is not the only available option to reduce the heavy toll on Mother Nature. The harvesting of dead standing and wind-toppled trees is another method that many lumber mills are turning to as a way of “decreasing their environmental imprint.” By collecting fallen timber and already dead trees, the companies are not contributing to deforestation and making room for new wood to grow. While this seems a reasonable solution, there are those who oppose the concept.
Andrew Cowan N.D.Arb, founder of ArborEcology Ltd, writes a compelling argument to the contrary, presenting the ecological impact of these 'dead trees' to very alive organisms. His article “Decaying Wood:Recycling Within Arboreal Ecosystems” from the publication EssentialARB states, “The diverse array of organisms that are involved in the breakdown of dead woody tissues is truly amazing. So much so that decaying wood can be considered a specialist habitat in it’s own right.” He goes on to point out that these 'specialist habitats' contribute toward the natural cycles of their surrounding environment, just as much a functioning part of the ecology as when the trees were living. Mr. Cowan is not one of those environmental activists who would chain himself to a tree to stop the bulldozers. He is, in fact, a man working forward by finding compromises. His organization, located south east of London consults and offers training to conservationists, developers, and contractors to find the best solutions for the environment and those who would dwell in it.
More companies are emerging to find an acceptable balance between our needs and nature's preservation. EcoTimber was founded in 1992 in San Rafael, California with environmental awareness and responsible action in mind. They deal in reclaimed and sustainably-harvested woods, meaning fast-growth woods like bamboo. While the world's industries boast that they are making a shift toward “Green” business practices, EcoTimber has since their inception and are forthright with educational information so consumers know what they should be looking for in “reclaimed wood.”
There is no denying that mankind has a love affair with wood. Great admiration for its beauty is shown in the hewing of a post or plank to build a home . It takes incredible dedication to craft the fine furniture that has for centuries been a centerpiece in many of those homes. And no winter night is quite complete without the heady aroma of burning oak on the hearth. As with any gift nature gives, we must find a way to respect, reuse and replenish it so that the generations of the future will know its beauty.
Bench photo by Steev Cowleed