We take pride in ensuring environmental responsibility is a core pillar of our business and focus on being as eco-friendly as possible so that our business and UK forests will continue to flourish for many years to come. We are here for the long term and as a business that relies upon healthy and sustainably managed UK woodlands, responsible timber supplies look after us, whilst we look after them.
A large portion of our client base have turned their back on treated softwood due to its low durability and lack of quality, especially as the long term effects of timber treatments are becoming apparent and restrictions on using them are being tightened. Traditional English hardwoods such as oak and sweet chestnut have proved to be considerably more durable, offsetting the slightly higher initial cost in the long term. Untreated hardwood is becoming the obvious choice for use in outdoor structures, including fencing and gateposts. All of our hardwood timber supply is untreated and we can increase the durability of the timber with various techniques such as stripping, and wrapping and burning.
Sustainably Sourced Timber Certification
We source timber that carries Grown in Britain, or equivalent, certification. Grown in Britain certification is a stamp of trust and quality, and ensures that products come from responsibly managed forests that provide environmental, social, and economic benefits.
Locally Grown
Our timber is UK-grown, minimising the environmental impact associated with importing timber from abroad. It is possible to buy cheap timbers from certain overseas locations, however we do not believe in this practice due to the environmental impact associated with doing so, both in the production and transportation processes. Within the UK, we also buy timber from over-stood coppices and we are proud to be responsible for putting many acres of neglected coppice back into the coppicing cycle.
Minimising Waste
We are committed to using all parts of the timber that we process, minimising waste materials. Our practices include:
- Reusing and resawing suitable rips.
- Seasoning, grading, and bagging offcuts, then supplying them as firewood.
- Bagging sawdust on-site to be recycled for animal bedding, mulch, and various other specialist uses.
- Chipping of unusable material to power biomass boilers.
- Chipping of bark from hand-stripped sweet chestnut to make rustic play area fall surfacing.
Our Commitment to the Future
Environmental responsibility doesn’t end there and is as diverse as the range of timber services that we offer. We regularly explore different ways to improve the sustainability of our products and further reduce our impact upon the environment. This proactive approach to environmental practices ensures we can improve the sustainability of our operations and support the health of UK woodlands, benefitting the planet for future generations.