A Passion For Reclaiming: The Extraordinary Things People Are Doing With Reclaimed Wood

Reclaimed wood refers to wood that has been salvaged from a previous use. Oftentimes, reclaimed wood and lumber come from old barns and warehouses. According to The Old Barn Wood Co. (Baraboo, Wis.), they are the source for massive wood beams, from old growth Pine, Douglas Fir, White Oak, and other wood varieties that are prized for their color, size, strength and grain.

Reclaimed wood is said to be unrivaled in terms of its beauty, density and clarity. This old lumber is also valued for its historical significance, often from turn-of-the-last-century buildings. SmartWood offers a Rediscovered Wood certification program designed to acknowledge good practices for the recovery, recycling and reuse of wood products through credible independent certification and tracking. Wood recovery is a new and growing industry that is developing due to rising timber prices, diminishing space in landfills, and specialty markets for antique woods. With the world’s current demand for forest products, deforestation and forest degradation pressures are ever increasing. Here are a few stories of passionate people committed to conserving the world’s forests one tree at a time.

by Amanda Knox

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