A TOTALLY RENEWABLE RESOURCE

Wood is unendingly useful and it is also undisputably beautiful, especially when it is used to craft furniture or to build a home. However, how sustainable is it?

Sustainable timber refers to timber that has been harvested responsibly. Sustainable forestry also ensures there is no ecological damage to the surrounding environment.

New Zealand has one of the best forestry management systems in the world. Governed by the Forests Act (1949) as amended (1993).

Trees absorb the greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide from our atmosphere. This helps counteract some of the damage caused by such gases being released. The carbon remains locked in the timber for life, this does not change even during the milling and processing of the tree. It is only released if the timber is burnt or rots, thus having a lasting positive environmental impact even when utilised for cabinetry and joinery.

The production of wood products uses less energy than for the production of many other commonly used materials; 19 times less than to make steel, 45 times less than to make a plastic product; and 85 times less energy than producing aluminium. Wood residue from the processing of timber can also be used for energy production, providing two fold environmental benefits.

Timber furniture is already exceedingly versatile and beautiful; there is no need for it to be become a rarity. Sustainable timber supports this ethos.

How do we play our part at Podocarp? As well as ensuring we use sustainable timber from sustainable sources, we have waste management strategies in place. Despite ensuring initial waste is reduced by accurate measurement and usage of each piece of timber there are inevitably numberous off cuts. These are then utilised in smaller handcrafted items that can be used in day to day life; whether it be chopping boards, pizza paddles, and other kitchen items through to outdoor games and storage pieces for the home; whatever idea sparks in the makers mind at the time. We also deal with the bi product, sawdust as best we can. We have bags of untreated saw dust available for the use on the garden or for animal bedding. However, we have some more exciting idea's up our sleeve, just watch this space for further news.

When we have a variety of better options available as to which wood product to utilise, we will pass these options on to the customer, so that they can make the right choice on sustainable timber.

As the world moves away from the dependence on fossil fuels towards a more sustainable biological based economy, forestry and business' like ours will be even more important in society and the economy of NZ.