Locally Sourced Wood: A Better Way to Build

Locally Sourced Wood: A Better Way to Build

The majority of our clients are from North America, and a large number are right here in the Toronto area. Because we love our country, we invest in its future by using locally sourced wood from Canadian forests. By getting the wood locally for our Toronto custom furniture, we put money back into our local economy, helping the area to grow and prosper. When you choose luxury furniture from Toronto’s premier custom furniture company, you become a part of that growth and help to improve Canada’s future.

But, choosing the right wood is about more than just the economy. Our wood is also selected from sustainable forests that aim to protect the earth as it provides us with the resources we need. Take a look at what sustainable forestry means for us:

Choosing the Right Trees

The first step to maintaining a sustainable forest is knowing when the time is right for harvesting timber. The longer you can wait to cut down a particular tree, the more useable wood it contains, and the better the quality of timber. Most hardwood trees, like the maple wood we primarily use in our custom couches and chairs, take several decades to reach maturity. Even after a tree matures, it gains in height and diameter for every year it remains standing, until its growth eventually slows. Rather than clear-cutting all trees, our forestry partners participate in selection cutting, which allows some trees to continue growing in all areas of the forest.

Replanting

The forests where we obtain lumber for our Toronto luxury furniture always follow cutting with a period of planting. New trees replace those that have been used. The replanting process ties in with that of selecting trees at the right age. Obviously, the new saplings need time to grow before they are ready to be used. The goal of replanting is to keep the forest green and habitable for local wildlife and to allow rotation of the areas that are cut. Rotating the areas harvested allows time for previous saplings to grow to maturity. That means trees of various ages stand throughout the forest, for a balanced ecosystem.

Vast bare areas are not conducive to sustainable forestry. When the land becomes bare, erosion sets in and native species die out. It changes the entire ecosystem. Continuing selection cutting and replanting allows the continued existence of mature trees in our local forests. The trees in the area are accustomed to certain conditions and require particular nutrients, so it is not sustainable to allow the forest floor to go bare and lack mature trees.

Managed Forests

The key to sustaining a healthy forest without depleting resources is to keep a well-managed forest. That means no trees are cut down without first having a detailed plan in place. Trees are never cut randomly. Instead, the organization managing the forest will take time to plan out guidelines for which trees can be cut; how often cutting will occur; and how many trees need to be replanted.

In addition, preserving the wildlife is always factored into the plans for sustainable forestry. Without other native species, the forest does not thrive. In order both to honor our planet and maintain the level of resources needed, we take a keen interest in the health of local plants and animals.

Staying Local

The local movement has gained a lot of traction, and some good reasons exist for getting raw materials from a local source when possible. Because Louis Interiors buys from local suppliers, we reduce transportation emissions for shipping timber to our facilities. Quite simply, the wood travels a shorter distance from forest to manufacturing floor, and the benefit is less carbon pollution. That’s good news for our environment and our customers’ lungs.

Buying from sustainable forests means we don’t only improve the economy of our country, we’re also investing in the future of our planet. We want the quality furniture at Louis Interiors to be enjoyed for generations, and part of that means taking care of the forests that supply natural materials. When you buy from Toronto’s luxury furniture supplier, you get quality and the confidence that you are doing right by the earth. Keep up with our sustainability efforts by following us on our blog or on Facebook.