WOOD IS THE NEW GREENISH

WOOD, oh wood. Contrary to popular belief, we are not running out of forests and trees. Our American forests have experienced more growth than decline since the 1940s - we have more forests now than we did in 1920. Wood is the most plentiful renewable resource in the world and is the only building product that is renewable, energy efficient, biodegradable, recyclable, and extremely beautiful.
Harvested and milled timber continues to store the carbon in the wood for the life of the product. When more trees are planted, more carbon is taken out of the atmosphere. Using wood products precludes the use of fossil-fuel intensive alternatives like steel and concrete. Actively managed forests that utilize growing trees to produce forest products can play a huge role in the reduction of atmospheric carbon.
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is an adopted standard to assess environmental impact of a product, process or activity on the environment over its lifetime. LCA assessment includes extraction, manufacturing, transportation, installation, use, maintenance, disposal or re-usage.
In terms of releasing of pollutants into the air and water, emmission of greenhouse gases and phenomenal outlays of embodied energy in production, wood out-performs steel and concrete in ways we haven't even begun to measure.
TOP THREE REASONS TO USE WOOD OVER ALL ELSE IN CONSTRUCTION:
1. Wood products continue to store the carbon sequestered by trees. When trees are converted into wood products most of the sequestered carbon is contained in those products indefinitely-keeping it out of the atmosphere.
2. LCA studies show that wood has a substantially smaller carbon footprint than other building materials. Most notable is the significant volume of greenhouse gas emissions avoided by substituting wood products for concrete and steel - both strong contributors in high amounts of CO2 emissions. )
3. After decades or even centuries of use, wood buildings can be easily adapted or deconstructed and reused, which means they can continue to store carbon indefinitely.

A 2009 study conducted by CORRIM compared four different structures using different wall systems – two woods, one concrete and one steel. The report found that the steel wall system generated 33% more greenhouses gases than wood and the concrete wall generated 80% more greenhouse gases than wood. The study also reported that the wood structures out-performed the steel and concrete houses in energy use and the impact on air and water quality. The global warming footprint of the steel-frame house was also 26 per cent higher and the concrete-frame house 31 per cent higher than the homes framed in wood.

Everybody needs a map to navigate by, right?
We have successfully managed to avoid maps for the last 26 years.
Today we decided to try one out. What follows is our Mission Statement.

To engineer, produce and distribute the finest quality home construction products in ways that emphasize our commitment to sustainability, affordability and attention to detail. We are a TBL (Triple bottom line) company promoting business practices that demonstrate respect for the earth, its inhabitants and the environment.
We strive to provide systems and products that surpass customer expectations, yield cost savings and allow for easy installation.
We encourage the people working with us to become critical thinkers in terms of mitigating the environmental impact of traditional business practices. With emphasis on meeting the needs of people now, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
We work with suppliers who ensure that our global forests remain sustainable biological systems while providing quality building material and fiber for generations to come. We are an active participant in the practices of designing buildings in harmony with the natural features and resources present.

Wood Haven, Inc. Talking Cumaru

So glad you could make it by.

We are Wood Haven, Inc. located in the scenic northeast hills of Kansas in the town of Perry.
We are a manufacturer and supplier to the green building industry. We've been in the wood business for roughly 26 years and have spent the last six of those years developing products to promote environmentally responsible ways to build commercial and residential structures.
If you've heard of or used The Deck Clip™ or The Rainscreen Clip™ then half our battle is won. We have engineered, manufactured and sold those products to many builders, developers and architects for a few years now.
In addition to those systems, we are a one-stop source for sustainably harvested South American hardwoods and much of the re-claimed woods harvested in North America (think Katrina.) Cumaru is one of the woods we sell a lot of and not everybody knows much about.
The wood we sell comes to us from Brazil, and is one of our top sellers. If you’ve ever been to the Atlantic City Boardwalk you’ve seen Cumaru.
Cumaru is the wood of choice when longevity, economy and aesthetics are paramount concerns. One of the primary attractions to choosing Cumaru for outdoor applications is its extreme density. It is not only beautiful, but has a steel-like composition as well. Certified ratings of Cumaru measure it as one of the most durable hardwoods of all hardwoods (five times harder than cedar - ten times stronger than composites.) This strength and density makes it one of the more moisture resistant woods available.
Cumaru is as maintenance-free as wood gets - No sealers are required due to density as well as the oils inherent in the wood. With age, Cumaru will turn to a soft silvery-gray. This aging process doesn’t compromise the strength of the wood, just the color. If you haven’t had the opportunity to work with or recommend this wood for a job, drop us a line, we can tell you even more about it and shoot you some prices. If you have already worked with it and we’re preaching to the choir – Give us a call, I’ll bet we can provide you some solid pricing, quality product and quick turn-around.