Why is ancient old growth reclaimed wood popular?
Aside from the eco-logic behind the reclaiming of wood there is another very important reason that wood is reclaimed – there simply is no substitute for ancient old growth wood. The timber retrieved from old structures was originally cut from virgin old growth forests over the last few centuries. These forests yielded timber that was slow growing with fine, straight, tight grain and much of the wood was free of knots. The aesthetic and physical characteristics of ancient old growth timber is very appealing. The natural process of aging over many decades produces timber that is dry and stable thus there is no further shrinkage. The natural aging and drying process also brings out beautiful colours unique to each species of wood. Why should you use reclaimed timber in your project? Your use of reclaimed wood reduces the pressure to harvest what little amount of ancient forest that remains today. Is this a new phenomenon – recycling wood? Recycling wood is not a new concept – cultures aro
