By Simon Smith
Positive steps towards a sustainable future!
With the UN’s latest climate report stating “a code red for humanityâ€, we believe sustainability is now more important than ever, and it’s critical we play our part in taking positive action in how we source and sell timber.
Timber is our only natural renewable resource, it requires sunlight – and water, the latter we have in abundance this year, less so with sunlight.
Trees, when they are in their prime, give up oxygen as a bi product of photosynthesis, this is vital to reduce Greenhouse Gases Co2 in particular. The more trees = more oxygen into the atmosphere – less trees the Greenhouse gases increase at an increasing rate. – hence world warming.
Timber is a small part of the solution but nevertheless very important, as for approx. every 1 ton of growing tree in its prime, it takes out 1.48 tons of Carbon. [Peat bogs do an even better job in Carbon Capture in passing.]
We can all do our part – plant trees hopefully cropable ones too as well as ornamental species – so that in time, our children can harvest our efforts and best use and re-plant this vital resource.
What can we do to drive greater sustainability?
Thinking about sustainability isn’t a new thing to us at WL West & Sons. We first joined the Forest Stewardship Council®(FSC) in 2003, this was followed over subsequent years by the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) and more recently Grown in Britain chain of custody schemes. As members of these schemes, we have the opportunity to offer our customers the option of sustainably sourced timber with a traceable chain of custody. The chain of custody ensures traceability from source to mill and onward to the end user if they are registered in the schemes.
These accreditations also allow our team to request the same from our suppliers when buying timber, the schemes require and annual audit of our processes to ensure correct record keeping. But please remember, not all species or sizes of species may have a certification. Certification is voluntary and not all growers or processors have certification. It is also crucial that you tell us that you require certified timber at the outset, certification cannot be given retrospectively.
How can you reduce your carbon footprint?
Our 12-acre site offers the benefit of a “one stop shop†level of service. This means, taking your order from the raw material and converting it into your final product all under one roof, keeping your timber’s carbon footprint down.
Our skilled production team are trained to select and process every order with maximum efficiency, keeping the yield high and the waste to a minimum. This also reflects in our buying – we support the Grown In Britain Campaign – to try to source more materials locally, our Douglas fir for example comes less than three miles away. Oak logs are sourced from local estates where possible as part of our effort to reduce transport cost and pollution.
We support the Grown in Britain campaign
Interestingly
A modern-day container ship, one of many thousands of ships sailing the globe, for example has a gross tonnage weight of 141000 tons approx., 13,600 x 20′ containers. Most new vessels post 2011 carry and burn lower sulphur heavy oil, at 104 RPM they consume 212 tons of fuel for every day, except 2 weeks or one month for servicing when the engine is maintained. This type of container ship generates electric to run a small town of population of 10,000 people. Ideally suited for chiller containers for perishable goods. The ship of this size is approx 360m long x 48m wide – common to this world of transport
The Globalization of the world relies of more shipping from the China and the Far East. The pollution is significant. However, it is important to realise despite all the pollution, it is the most economical way to transport goods, over long distances.
Re-usable bi-product
When cutting a log into T/T planks, we can expect to achieve approximately 65% recovery from the round timber and approximately 50% from converting to square edge boards from temperate hardwood / softwood logs. Tropical hardwoods tend to grow much straighter and in half the time to reach the same diameter approximately, due to a `round the year’ growing season.
But what about the waste or bi-product?
Our sawdust & wood shavings collected and stored to be re-used for animal bedding.
Whilst our larger ripping’s and off-cuts are recycled to produce biomass fuel for local greenhouses growing vegetables and salad local to us. In the woods the canopy and branch wood are also recycled for firewood and biomass. Roots are either left to decay for wildlife or used for garden design. On Walnut trees the most value parts are the roots for Gun Stocks.
Our sawdust & wood shavings collected and stored to be re-used for animal bedding.
Conscious decision-making
Over the past 8 years we have been moving towards working in a more conscientious, economic and environmental way. In 2013, we installed an 80kw Photo-voltaic solar generating plant. This produces approximately 24% of the power used in the business, and since 2013 has generated in excess of half a million KWh.
Where possible, new vehicles have the most efficient engines and are electric or hybrid where we can. Deliveries are planned to use the most efficient routing thus reducing fuel consumption overall.
Recycling continues in the office where paper and card are separated from general waste and are collected by a major recycling company. Reduction in paper usage has also been developed in our accounts team, with invoicing and statements being sent electronically wherever possible, and suppliers invoices and statement being received electronically where we can.
WL West & Sons Ltd is a timber merchant and sawmill business with 150 years of experience. We provide a wide range of air-dried oak and kiln-dried oak timber products and supplies. We also build and install custom projects for our customers.
Our wood products, building materials and certified wood are manufactured and sold with the endorsement of forest certification and the Forest Stewardship Council FSC
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For entirely finished products, timber supplies or woodworking tools, have a look at our Retail Shop.
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