1. Wood is a carbon sink.
As we all learned in school, trees absorb carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, converting it into oxygen. That carbon is locked away in the fibres of the wood, acting as a carbon sink. Once the tree is cut down, and turned into a lovely outdoor setting or a wall in your home, it is stored there and the space can be used to grow another tree. So the cycle continues, and that leads to the next reason…
2. Wood is renewable.
Plantation timbers can be rapidly and sustainably be grown and re-grown on the same plot of land. This continues the cycle of carbon absorption using species that grow rapidly and are ideal for use as milled timber. Traditionally, large trees have been used to achieve the larger dimensions required for structural timber or show pieces. More recently, the rise of engineered timbers mean that we can composite many of these smaller dimensions into a larger piece suitable for beams or bench tops.
3. Wood is durable.
With our sustainably produced timbers adorning the structure and furnishings that make up our home, their ability to resist damage means our homes are replaced less often. Furniture produced using timber, using quality joins and workmanship can last a life time. Homes produced using quality timber and protected from the elements and pests can last 100 years.
4. Wood is a good insulator.
Compared to brick or steel, wood is a fantastic insulator. Its fibrous structure naturally prevents the movement or heat or cold into or out of a structure. The voids created by using timber structures facilitate the use of highly insulating materials to further improve the quality of heat retention. Heavy timber structures using methods like post and beam / sip further reduce the surface area of the structure to the outside world, increasing the insulating quality of the building. When used in conjunction with SIP panels to seal your home, your old timey wood frame house becomes a sustainable power house.
5. Wood is reusable.
Especially with traditional joins, wood structures like homes and furniture can be repaired easily by remaking broken components. The broken components can be cut down and used for other projects. Most of our projects result in waste, and that waste is used in other projects until all that is left is wood chips and saw dust. With a little bit of treatment, old wood can be reconditioned to look good as new. Often, when protected from the elements, wood ages fantastically as it becomes more seasoned and stable.
6. Wood is biodegradable.
When the day finally comes that you need to dispose of your wood structure, it is perfectly suitable for returning to the environment. Fungi have developed over millennia to break down wood that is exposed to the elements and return the nutrients that remain into the earth for use by living plants. If the structure is burned, it limits the carbon damage to unlocking the carbon that had been locked down for the previous hundred years. Not the worst outcome!
The Timber Traditionalist 