Selected Wood Species: Canada and United States

Furniture designers and SMEs can access a plethora of wood species from ubiquitous red oak and walnut to subtle fruitwoods and urban park thinnings. VCR selected 14 species for special scrutiny - six softwoods and eight hardwoods, all indigenous to Canada and/or the United States - divided into four categories (listed below) to reflect the national source of the technical data.

Canada softwoods	Canada hardwoods
United States softwoods	United States hardwoods

Criteria for selected species reflects VCR's priorities - support for design-driven small and medium-size domestic furniture producers using sustainable materials. This sector requires unique and innovative design to generate the niche products that will appeal to North American consumers: it makes no sense to compete with mass-marketed products using mass-marketed materials. Small companies have the flexibility to work with local woodlots, kilning services and lumberyards to identify rarer species with aesthetic appeal. Look around in your own backyard for relatively small volumes of "interesting" timber that lacks the economy of scale to attract large multi-national corporations. The 14 woods selected should be seen as an example of these values and not as a definitive list. VCR would appreciate your opinions on wood species meeting these criteria that should be added.

Some practical examples of "interesting" uses of regional wood species are shown below to inspire designers and manufacturers to search out local materials that are usually ignored by the competition.

	Western hemlock bench designed by David Grieg, Vancouver, BC, 2009.
	Sustainably harvested fast-grown ash chairs designed by David Colwell, Trannon Studio, Wales. The C10 Springback Chair (left) and the new Achair incorporate steam-bent components that provide flexibility, increased strength and weight savings and add significantly to comfort.
	Western red cedar armchair designed by Mario Sabljak, Flavour Furniture, Vancouver, BC.
	FSC certified American ash rocking chair designed by Peter Danko for Peter Danko Design Inc., Stanardsville, VA. The Amos chair seat webbing is sourced from recycled automotive seat belts.
	Hazel woodland thinnings chair designed by Sebastian Cox, MA student, University of Lincoln, UK. The mechanical properties of green and steamed wood components were harnessed to create a strong chair weighing only 1.8 kgs.
	Edge-Glued Panels from Alaska Hardwoods: Retail Manager Perspectives, March 2010. David Nicholls, et al., researched the market potential for edge-glued paper birch and red alder panels and found a preference for clear-grain (no knots), as was expected, but also a strong liking for birch panels with natural-stain patterns (image copyright USAD).

Eco Comments

Many of us have images burned on our retinas of North American and tropical clearcut wastelands caused by commodity species extraction. In contrast a 2008 report concludes that, with the exception of Washington State, hardwood growing stock in the United States has more than doubled since 1952 and increased by 28 per cent since 1987 and harvesting of North American hardwoods is primarily by selective logging. Ironically, the report was commissioned by the American Hardwood Export Council, whose obvious mandate is not the promotion of domestic manufacturing.

Manufacturers need credible chain-of-custody monitoring for their raw wood supplies so that consumers can easily determine whether furniture is made of sustainably harvested materials. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), a respected organization overseeing ethical wood harvesting, provides an online database of approved suppliers. Self-monitoring by manufacturers of wood sourced from local community forests (see below) is also an option. Manufacturers can make random unnannounced visits to view harvesting methods, take photographs and talk to forest professionals to ensure wood is harvested responsibly by many small woodlots that cannot afford the high cost of formal certification.

Sourcing Local Wood Species

In Canada: List of kiln-dry wood suppliers.

In United States: Partial list below of community, urban forest and supplier resources by state and city. VCR welcomes your input on additional resources.

California: Urban Wood, Sustainable Hardwoods Network Arcata: Almquist
Berkeley: GWRY Martinez: Urban Lumber Whitethorn: Whitethorn Construction

Colorado: Wood Utilization Program, Wood Products Directory

Delaware: Wood Products Directory

Idaho: Forestry Advisory Council, Wood Products Directory

Illinois: Urban Forestry Chicago: Horigan Urban Forest Products, Planet Reuse

Indiana: Certification Chandler: Woodland Forest Products

Iowa: Wood Processors Directory Belle Plaine: Pierce Lumber

Kansas: Community Forestry

Kentucky: Urban Forestry

Louisiana: Wood Products Directory

Maine: Forest Certification, SFF, Certified Wood

Maryland: Forest Certification