In 2005, using NASA satellite imagery, it was estimated that there were more than 400 billion trees on earth. That is approximately 61 trees per person!
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It Is Easy to be Green
The American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) recently awarded the Outstanding Use of American Hardwood in the Middle East award to AHK International. The award was designed to highlight the growing number of projects in the region using American Hardwoods. AHK showcased the natural beauty of walnut in the new library for Zayed University in Abu Dhabi, using the American Hardwood in their design of the library’s floors, radial bookshelves, and cabinetry. At 40,000 square feet and housing 150,000 books, the new building is one of the largest university libraries in the Middle East. AHEC’s award recognized the usage of American walnut to create a conducive and inspiring ambiance for reading and learning.
“We had chosen to use American walnut across the whole library because of its…straight grained appearance and its durability, being highly resistant to heartwood decay,” said Carrie Das, design manager with AHK International. “It was also able to warm the environment and simultaneously provides a modern, classic, and comfortable feeling. The end result is a library that lives, breathes, and emanates the key beauty provided by such a rich and warm hardwood as American walnut.”
However, a recent article on Green Prophet questioned whether the use of American Hardwoods was truly “green.” Author Maurice Picow pointed out that each mature walnut tree used in the construction will take 50 years to regrow, while a softwood like pine or fir could be replenished within 20 years.
Picow’s intent is noble, but when specifying “green” floors, shelving, and cabinetry, there is more to consider than just the length of the forest rotation. As AHEC technical consultant Rupert Oliver points out, “There is no relationship whatsoever between rate of tree growth and the sustainability of harvested wood. You’ve also got to take account of the size of the forest resource – which in the case of walnut is vast. Even the slowest growing hardwoods can be managed sustainably if the area of forest is large enough and the length of time between harvests long enough.”
According to a recent report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, approximately one million cubic meters of American walnut is harvested each year. However, the annual growth rate is 3.6 million cubic meters. Even if only 10% of the walnut harvest is suitable for high-end construction like Zayed University’s new library, it would still only take 90 seconds for each cubic meter of harvested walnut to be replaced.
Scott Bowe, an associate professor and wood products specialist in the University of Wisconsin’s Forest and Wildlife Ecology department, adds, “Short growth rotations do not make for a greener product. In fact, short rotation monoculture “crops” often require more intensive site preparation, planting, pesticides, fertilizer, thinning, and harvesting. All of these processes increase soil erosion and embodied energy and decrease water quality and biodiversity.
Further, Bowe says, “These intensive site and harvest impacts are not a part of a natural sustainably managed hardwood forest. Periodic selective harvesting of walnut, for example, in combination with natural regeneration leaves the forest intact preserving soil, water quality, and biodiversity. We spend hours in the classroom and in the field demonstrating these concepts to our students studying for a degree in forest management.”
When determining whether a hardwood or softwood is more “green”, Bowe says one should consider the diameter of the harvested log. The percentage of usable wood from a 24-inch walnut log is much higher than that of a thinner pine log. According to Bowe, it would take five pine logs (8 feet long) to equal the volume of usable wood from one walnut log (8 feet long). This translates into not just more wasted wood, but also more energy spent harvesting and processing a softwood like pine than it would take to harvest and process the same amount of usable hardwood.
As these industry experts point out, American Hardwoods truly are the green choice. Thanks to responsible forestry management practices such as selective harvesting, as well as the natural thickness (more usable wood per tree) of American Hardwoods, stunning masterpieces such as the new library at Zayed University can continue to be built for many decades to come.
American’s History: ‘Carved’ in Hardwoods
This is not a happy day: one of my favorite historical myths has just been shattered.
There are no horse’s hoof marks on the wood floors of Monticello. Thousands of human feet have trod the historic boards in Thomas Jefferson’s mountain-top estate, but not the galloping hooves that carried British Col. Banastre Tarleton and the “Green Dragons” that June morning in l781. They came riding in hot pursuit of Jefferson, Patrick Henry, and other signers of that Declaration of Independence that so angered England’s King George III.
The troops stormed Jefferson’s mountain at dawn, out to catch the Revolutionaries, and – in the story I’d heard since childhood – thundered right into the entrance hall of Monticello, terrifying the servants but missing the master of the house (and mastermind of the new nation). He was spiraling down the other side of the mountain, alerted in the nick of time by one Jack Jouett, a patriot who had galloped 40 grueling miles through the night to sound the alarm and save the day.
Alas, no Longfellow immortalized Jouett’s ride in poetry, but all Virginia schoolchildren know the true story of his heroism. And of the hoof marks in the halls of Monticello?
“Not true,” said Monticello’s main librarian Anna Bekkes (a bit abruptly, I thought). I was asking in the pursuit of more proof that hardwood lives up to its name, shining through the centuries on some of the most famous floors in America. Step into almost any historic house and you’ll be standing on hardwood floors that have literally stood the test of time. So, phantom hoof marks or no, you can visit Monticello, built from l769 – 84, and still admire the original cherry-and-beech parquet floor that Jefferson himself designed for his parlor.
Monticello is a youngster compared to Shirley, another venerable Virginia plantation, this one down on the James River. Dating from l613 – a scant six years after the first settlers arrived in Jamestown — Shirley is known as one of the oldest family-owned businesses in America (10 generations of the Hill Carter family have lived there – the 11th still does, on the upper two floors).
The present mansion was built in 1738, using walnut timbered on the place for its world-famous “flying” staircase. Soaring three flights up with no visible means of support, the stairs are a feat of engineering that still dazzles visitors today.
Meanwhile, out on the Other Coast, other hardwoods are still dazzling visitors to Pasadena’s cherished Gamble House (1908), where the nature-loving Greene and Greene brothers, Charles and Henry, finished the dark, warm Arts and Crafts interiors with hardwoods like maple and oak.
In Southern areas like Charleston, South Carolina, you can add cypress to the list of hardwoods still on duty in America’s important sites. Boldly carved cypress paneling wraps the walls in the upstairs drawing room of Charleston’s 1751 Brandford-Horry House. And guests luxuriating at the famed old Sea Island resort designed by Addison Mizner in l928 can still admire the pecky cypress beams in the Spanish Lounge.
Never mind that the original resort – built as a summers-only escape for the privileged—was suffering severe decay and had to be razed in the l990s. The owners tenderly set the old cypress woodwork aside and built it back into the new “old” building.
Further proof that history does repeat itself…thanks to the long-lived beauty of durable American hardwoods.
Commercial or residential, large or small, specifying the proper material is essential to the success of any project.
Red Roof Inn recently announced the results of a nationwide survey asking what travelers are looking for in a hotel, with the results being used to in their $90 million “NextGen” room redesign. According to the Inn’s press release, the respondents wanted more electrical outlets, flat screen televisions, and hardwood floors. The redesign, debuting at their Miami Airport location, includes the requested electrical outlets and new televisions. But what of the hardwood floors?
Although their guests asked for hardwood flooring, the hotel opted for “wood-like” flooring. “Wood-like” being laminate flooring, and while the two types may look similar, there is a world of difference.
Solid wood flooring is genuine hardwood, nothing less. Laminate, or “wood-like” flooring, is actually particle board or medium density fiberboard, with a picture of wood on the top. The “wood-like” flooring may suffice initially, but over time, a hardwood imitator will show its true grain, or lack thereof.
A hotel’s mission is to sell every room every night, and the average room can house two to four guests. That’s eight feet a day, or 2920 feet a year, dragging their heels (and suitcases!) across a photograph of wood. Throw a few sets of claws in the mix for “pet friendly” hotels, add the feet and wheeled carts of the daily cleaning crew, and the fact that they have to move furniture to clean those hard-to-reach places, and it won’t be long before the flooring is covered in scratches.
What can be done about those scratches? On “wood-like” flooring, very little. However, if solid hardwood (or even engineered hardwood) had been used, in most cases, sanding and refinishing the damaged area would restore the floor’s original beauty. Is there a lesson here?
There are many factors to consider when choosing a building or design material. For instance, is the material natural or man-made? What maintenance and repair costs are associated with the material? What is the useful life of the material and how does it compare with other materials? Why is it important to consider a material’s origin?
Find the answers to these questions, and be knowledgeable when making your selection.
As you consider specification options for your next project, take a second look at American hardwoods. Solid hardwood is naturally beautiful, environmentally-friendly, and more cost-effective over the long run. Choose products made from solid American Hardwoods: built to last a lifetime.
Earth-Friendly Finishes
Finishing is often associated with protecting the beauty of the wood, but specifying the proper wood finish can also protect the beauty of the environment. When specifying a wood finish, consider the volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, in the finish formulation. Environmentally-conscious consumer demand has led manufacturers to create low (200 grams per liter) and zero (less than 5 grams per liter) VOC finishes.
How do these low/no VOC finishes hold up? In an interview with Wood Design + Construction, Duo Dickinson (the former host of CNN’s web series Home Work) said, “It has been my experience that the highest-quality water-based finishes are perhaps the best on the market today and usually are lower in VOCs than their non-water-based competitors.”
For heavy-duty use, consider acrylic-impregnated floor finishes. While these are normally not necessary in residential projects, they are common in shopping centers, restaurants, hospitals, and other areas that see heavy foot traffic. These finishes impart coloration that penetrates deep in the wood, creating a hard surface that protects against dirt, moisture, and wear.
Janos Spitzer, owner of Janos P. Spitzer Flooring Company for nearly 50 years, adds that “Waterborne, catalyzed polyurethane floor finish has become ubiquitous throughout the wood flooring industry, owing to its superior performance, ease of use, low VOC emissions, UV shielding, and moderate pricing. Application of other finishes makes up a very small percentage of the projects being undertaken today.”
With both the government and consumers pushing for industries to “Go Green,” using low or no VOC finishes can help you to meet industry regulations and consumer demand.
Speaking of green, what can we do about the perception that a hardwood floor will cost too much “green”? Education and Information! With proper care hardwood floors will last a lifetime. Carpet, vinyl, and laminate floors have to be completely replaced on an average, every eight to ten years. A hardwood floor can be refinished for a fraction of the price of a complete reinstallation of the other flooring choices.
In conclusion, whether you’re trying to help your customers “be” green or “save” green, hardwood specifications are the way to go. By limiting the VOC emissions, and the number of times your customers will have to completely reinstall their flooring, you can make the world a greener place.
A 4-Letter Word for Inspiration? TREE
Except for love, few natural phenomena have evoked more poetry than trees.
And, it follows, the beautiful hardwoods they contribute to our homes and lives.
Writers through the centuries have celebrated trees — and wood — in rhyme and prose…just as lovers have long carved their names into tree bark, declaring affection that will grow and last as long as the tree itself
And it’s not just lovers who sense immortality in trees. Visit beautiful Coole Park in County Galway, Ireland, and you can still see the names of now-famous literary giants inscribed in the bark of a towering copper beech “Autograph Tree.” Among the great names carved there: William Butler Yeats, George Bernard Shaw, John Millington Synge, and Sean O’Casey. (Once the estate of dramatist Lady Gregory, a founder of the Abbey Theatre, the park is open to the public year round.)
Poems about trees instantly evoke Joyce Kilmer and his rhyme so simple any schoolchild could recite it:
I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
Although he was well-known during his short lifetime — Joyce was 31 when he was killed during World War I – had he never written the dozen brief lines of “Trees,” he’d be all but forgotten today. Not so, the large white oak tree that tradition says inspired the poem. Growing on the Rutgers University campus in Kilmer’s birthplace, New Brunswick, N.J., the oak lived to be an estimated 300 years old or more, until, weakened by age, it had to be removed in l963. Like Kilmer’s poem, the tree lives on: from its acorns have sprung hundreds of oak saplings now growing in major arboretums all around the USA.
More fascinating facts and quotations about trees are readily available just a Google click away. Here’s Ralph Waldo Emerson: “The wonder is that we can see these trees and not wonder more.”
And Oliver Wendell Holmes:
“There’s nothing that keeps its youth,
So far as I know, But a tree and truth.”
Herman Hesse also saw truth in trees: “Trees are sanctuaries,” he wrote. “ Whoever knows how to listen to them can learn the truth.”
Still other artists have noted more practical virtues in trees. Frank Lloyd Wright, for example, once observed, “The best friend on earth of man is the tree. When we use the tree respectfully and economically, we have one of the greatest resources on the earth.
Wright’s affection for beautiful woods is well known. He not only lined his houses with walls and floors of warm, natural hardwoods, Wright often designed the furniture that went in them – famously crafting hardwoods like oak into chairs, table, even lamps to extend his esthetic into the inhabitants’ everyday lives.
Obviously Kilmer got it right in his rhyme: never will we see a material more poetic – or more versatile – than a tree.
When the Furniture is the Art
Question
When is a chair not just a chair? A table good enough to eat? And a desk as sexy as a stiletto shoe?
Answer
When an art furniture-maker shrugs off centuries of tradition and re-invents the furnishings of everyday life.
Not as easy as it sounds. If ever form were forced to follow function, it’s in a piece of furniture. Like architecture itself, furniture has to “work.” Chairs are to sit (few other things have such an intimate relationship with the human body), tables to serve, desks to work at. Comfort and practicality rule. But as brilliant wood masters from Chippendale to Stickley have shown, a piece of furniture can do its job and still make a highly personal design statement.
Just ask Bill Robbins, a master craftsman who has been designing and making original hand-built hardwood furniture in a converted barn in Vincentown, NJ, since l996 (www.williamrobbinsfurniture.com). Or Brad Smith of Bucks County, PA, who’s known nation-wide for carving ash ax-handles for legs on his signature stools and benches. “The idea is to make something special out of something ordinary,” says Smith (www.bradfordwoodworking.com).
Then there’s Emily Wettstein, a twenty-something Brooklynite who learned woodworking and welding from her father and grandfather on a farm in rural New Jersey, and applies her twin talents to furniture that does more than just sit there — her new walnut table has a metal trough down its center, sprouting bright green wheat grass (www.emilywettstein.tumblr.com).
As Robbins says, “Form certainly does follow function, but it doesn’t end there. I’m always looking for more vibration, more energy. I like the counterpoint of sharp edges and curves – it creates visual tension.”
As curvy and colorful – he uses Japan colors – as it is iconoclastic, Robbins’ furniture is “not supposed to blend…it should be part of the art.” Indeed, it’s priced like art – a cabinet can run to $12,000. But that buys the hand and heart of the artisan who, in Robbins’ case, has spent years becoming “conversant with trees…how they grow, how they react.
“That’s the excitement of working with a natural material like hardwood. The variations are endless.”
So, it seems, are the ways in which man’s oldest and most trusted material can be reborn as a piece of furniture. Wait till you see what the international design collaboration SplinterWorks (www.splinterworks.co.uk) does with solid stacked walnut in its dazzling Stiletto table desk!
WOOD, YOU BELIEVE
A Time-honored TRADITION
We all say it – “Knock Wood” – and we all know why: it’s to prevent something we’ve just boasted about from coming back to haunt us. And while the Brits favor “Touch wood,” the meaning’s the same: we’re relying on the strength of wood to keep our exaggerations from boomeranging.
It’s a custom some four-thousand years old, we’re told, traceable to the North American Indians in the New World and the Greeks in the Old. Both cultures revered trees, especially the enduring oak tree. Strong, stately, and tallest in the forest, oaks often drew lightning strikes – and survived. To touch an oak was to look to the sky with a plea to pardon one’s ego.
Wood also connotes security. Children play tree tag – tag a tree and you’re home safe. Then in adult years, they surround themselves with trees and wood, making their homes secure, warm, and beautiful.
Architects and interior designers have always known that wood endures from one generation to the next. Indeed, it can tie generations together. Consider my friends Vara and Jim, house-proud Southerners who decided the time had come to give up their grand and gracious Colonial and “right-size” their home (to borrow the title of Gale Steves’ smart book on the subject; see www.right-sizing.com).
Forget “down”-sizing. Right-sizing is not about living less large; it’s about knowing what space you truly need and what you need to put in that space so you can live well and happily ever after.
To right-size their later lives, Vara and Jim had to sift through and de-accession treasures from forty-odd years of marriage. What they kept gives life to the tag-line, “American Hardwood: Treasured for Generations” — a bench-made table and chairs, end tables, a bed and a matching doll bed. It’s furniture that ties them back to Vara’s Grandfather Coggins and his cherry orchard in Ashville, NC, blooming on what had been a land grant from the King of England. The orchard went in l945 to make way for a city reservoir, but not before each of his nine children got to turn some of the cherry wood into pieces of furniture, made to-order by a local craftsman.
Today, three generations can still “knock wood” on those time-honored and unique family heirlooms. Knocking on some hardwood look-alike hardly guarantees the same results.
