Hardwood plays a bigger role in sports than one would think. It is a versatile material commonly used for sporting equipment and playing surfaces because it’s strong, durable, easy to repair, and can last a long time. Let’s explore which sports use hardwood in their daily practices for playing or training.

What’s the Best Wood for Sports Equipment?

Maple and Ash hardwood are top choices of natural materials for making many types of sporting equipment. These hardwoods are flexible, durable, and have been used to make sports equipment for hundreds of years. Maple has a dense grain structure, providing strength and durability. Ash is lighter, flexible hardwood that balances strength and ease of use.

What Sports Use Wooden Equipment?

Many sports, such as baseball, cricket, hockey, table tennis, golf, field hockey, bowling, billiards, and lacrosse, use wooden equipment in their training and daily practices.

On Aaron Judge’s 62nd home run, he broke an MLB record. One of the most exciting aspects of this feat was the bat he swung. Learn about the hardwoods to make a bat that set several MLB records: https://www.gutchess.com/a-history-of-the-hardwood-bat…/

Is Real Wood still Used in Sporting Equipment Today?

Wood has traditionally been used to make sports equipment and playing surfaces. While some sports have altered their equipment to synthetic materials, wood remains well-established or even the material of choice in many others. In the 2024 Summer Olympics, wooden equipment can still be seen in daily sports practices and training like rowing, canoe slalom, canoe sprint, hockey, handball, archery, sailing, and table tennis. These sports still rely on the unique properties of wood to enhance performance and maintain traditional aesthetics.

What Wood is Used for Athletic Flooring?

Maple is almost always used in gyms and sports floors, like basketball courts. According to the Maple Flooring Manufacturers Association (MFMA), maple is so popular in the sports flooring industry that MFMA defines the standards for sports floor installation and maintenance. Maple has a Janka hardness rating of around 1450, and it is highly shock-resistant, attractive, and available.

What Sports are Played on Hardwood Floors?

Hardwood has been the traditional flooring material for basketball, volleyball, indoor field hockey, gymnastics, squash and futsal. The smooth surface of hardwood floors ensures consistent ball bounce and player movement, important for competitive games.

The Accor Arena will host the basketball, artistic gymnastics and trampoline events during the Olympics and the wheelchair basketball during the Paralympics during the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Key Performance Features of Hardwood Sports Floors

Hardwood sports floors absorb shock and provide durability and traction. These features reduce the risk of injury for athletes and improve their performance by providing a stable, durable surface. The natural beauty of hardwood also adds to the aesthetic appeal of sports facilities and arenas, making it a popular choice for professional and recreational athletic spaces.

Where does the Wood Come from that is used in Sports?

The hardwood used for sports equipment and flooring comes from hardwood forests, like the forests we responsibly manage at Gutchess Lumber. Our commitment to supplying premium hardwood means that athletes can rely on our materials in their equipment and arenas to enhance and support their performance, training, and careers.

As the 2024 Summer Olympics kick off, look out for hardwood products in equipment and sport flooring during each event. You will be surprised by how much hardwood you will find. Gutchess Lumber supports the sports industry by providing premium hardwood for equipment and flooring.

When building your home, you can choose from thousands of flooring options, and it can get overwhelming. The factors to consider are aesthetics, durability, health, environmental impact, and future resale value. Carpet and rugs are popular and can be responsibly purchased and installed, but they are not the most eco-friendly flooring options. It is important to choose a sustainable flooring material that will last a lifetime, offer the highest resale value, and provide health benefits for your family.

There are sustainable flooring options, like hardwood, that you can choose to make an eco-conscious choice when building your home!

What are the Types of Flooring?

When choosing flooring, it’s important to consider each material’s environmental impact. Many popular flooring alternatives are not environmentally friendly.

• Carpet: Are typically made from synthetic fibers and can release volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and are difficult to recycle. Dirt, allergens, and dust get trapped in carpets, and it’s very hard to get a good deep clean.
• Vinyl: Produces significant environmental pollutants during its manufacturing and is not biodegradable. Also, vinyl off-gases contain phthalate chemicals that can migrate into your home’s dust and produce toxic chemicals when burned
• Laminate: is the most wood-like in its appearance, but it can contain plastics and other non-renewable resources that contribute to landfill waste. It’s not moisture-proof, hard to repair, or noise-proof.

What Flooring Material has the Highest Resale Value?

Hardwood is one specific flooring material that has consistently increased resale value over the decades. According to USA TODAY, hardwood flooring professionals believe that using hardwood flooring in your home can increase its resale value by 2+ times. Homebuyers are willing to pay a premium for hardwood because it is durable, looks timeless, can be refinished multiple times, is easy to clean, and is a sustainable choice that will last a lifetime.

What Flooring Materials are the Best for Kids?

For families with children, the type of flooring used in your home is important for health benefits. Babies and toddlers spend a lot of time on the floor, crawling and playing, coming inside and outside, and they often put their hands and toys in their mouths.

Hardwood flooring is the preferred choice for families with little children due to its:

• Cleanliness: Hardwood is very easy to clean and considered hypoallergenic.
• Sustainability: Hardwood is durable, lasts a lifetime, and has a smaller ecological footprint than other alternative flooring options. When hardwood is manufactured, the only chemical used is a binding resin with strict OSHA and EPA regulations. These regulations ensure hardwood floors emit fewer chemical toxins into the air.
• Health: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) confirms that homes with hardwood floors have better indoor air quality than homes with other types of alternative flooring.

Real American Hardwood stated that real hard hardwood floors, cabinets, and furniture directly affect your mood, stress levels, and overall mental health.

Indoor environments have a direct affect on your mood, stress levels, and overall health. Research shows that nature and wood products can provide a mental boost. That’s why many homeowners bring nature indoors with #RealAmericanHardwood cabinets, millwork, furniture, and floors. pic.twitter.com/Pr3Jn8NB9I

— Real American Hardwood (@RealAmericanHwd) June 28, 2024

What are Sustainable Flooring Materials?

There are sustainable, eco-friendly flooring options that can reduce indoor pollution and prevent potential health issues.

Solid Hardwood Floors:

FSC-certified hardwood is the most sustainable flooring option for your home. Many hardwood types come from FSC-certified forests. These forests are responsibly managed, where trees naturally regenerate, biodiversity is conserved, and air and water quality are preserved. Hardwood floors are durable, eco-friendly, and last a lifetime.

What is the most Eco-Friendly Flooring?

Hardwood is the most environmentally friendly flooring choice. By choosing Gutchess Lumber’s hardwood for your home, you can ensure lumber comes from sustainably managed forests. We have 11 hardwood species to choose from, and they are native to the northeast United States. We can control the process from harvest to order fulfillment while keeping our operations sustainable by only harvesting within 150 miles of our seven New York and Pennsylvania locations.

By using hardwood flooring, you can help to mitigate climate change. Scientists at Yale forecasted unhealthy forest composition changes caused by insects and diseases over the next 100 years, which active forest management can help to reduce.

What makes Flooring Sustainable?

Important factors to think about that make flooring sustainable when you are choosing your flooring for your home are:

• Material Type: Use renewable or recycled materials, like hardwood, to benefit the environment.
• Manufacturing Process: Do your research and make sure the manufacturing process is environmentally friendly and reduces emissions and waste.
• Longevity of the Material: Materials like hardwood and tile are durable and sustainable and do not require frequent replacement or repair.

If you’re asking yourself, ‘Which flooring material should I choose for my home?’ if you are a homeowner, you should consider hardwood, an eco-friendly and sustainable option. By choosing hardwood, you are taking a step towards a greener future. Hardwood is the most sustainable option, and it can provide a beautiful, long-lasting floor while contributing positively to the environment and your family’s health.

Our team of foresters uses a process called selective harvesting to promote natural forest regeneration, which ultimately has a positive impact on climate change. As trees mature, they slowly absorb less carbon dioxide. Selective harvesting removes mature trees that have reached their peak carbon storage capacity. We use this process to strategically remove mature trees, creating space and resources for younger trees to grow and be able to continue to absorb carbon dioxide at a faster rate.

Carbon Absorption:

As trees mature, they soak up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it in their wood. When trees soak up carbon dioxide, they help balance the carbon levels in the atmosphere and mitigate climate change. Using selective harvesting to remove mature trees, the younger trees can continue to absorb carbon dioxide and store it as they grow, generating a healthy forest.

Promoting Growth:

Selectively harvesting mature trees allows sunlight to get to the forest floor, allowing more trees to grow. This process helps promote the growth of the next generation of trees that are ready to absorb carbon at a quicker rate than mature trees. When we responsibly harvest hardwood trees, natural regeneration occurs.

Carbon Lock-In:

Mature trees release stored carbon over time, but when harvested, their carbon remains locked in the hardwood products we produce instead of being released back into the atmosphere. This results in the carbon staying sequestered for long periods of time, helping mitigate climate change by taking the carbon out of the atmosphere and storing it.

Manufacturing with Carbon:

Hardwood products store carbon dioxide the tree captured throughout its life. This carbon remains locked away for decades within the furniture, flooring, and other beautiful creations crafted from our sustainable and natural building materials.

At Gutchess, we understand the benefits of selectively harvesting mature trees and utilize this process daily to create long-lasting hardwood products, that contribute to mitigating the effects of climate change.

In a world where aesthetics are the most important element of a space, people often find themselves drawn to hardwood products despite their price tags.

The process of manufacturing hardwood is labor-intensive, especially if it is done the right way.

Let’s dive into hardwood products and why they are worth every dollar.

Factors that Affect the Price of Hardwood

Hardwood products are more expensive than alternatives for several reasons.

Wood Species

Hardwood species have different characteristics, availability, demand, and quality. For example, if a hardwood species is seen in a celebrity house and is aesthetically pleasing, it can cause a cultural trend, which impacts demand, availability, and price.

Grade and Quality

All industries have regulations and standards that are in place to set the bar for specifications and procedures for materials, products, methods, and services that we rely on every day, which are consistent and reliable. The National Hardwood Lumber Association created hardwood regulations to ensure hardwood lumber is uniform during production.

Each board of hardwood manufactured at Gutchess Lumber is inspected a minimum of four times by trained graders following NHLA grading guidelines, ensuring that we are producing the highest-quality hardwood possible.

Market Demand and Supply

Fluctuations in hardwood demand can influence prices. Shortages or surpluses of hardwood species can also affect market prices and availability. When the need for wood materials and products exceeds the supply, the cost will rise. A delicate balance between supply and demand directly influences hardwood prices.

Demand is heavily influenced by construction activity.

Transportation and Import Costs

Transporting hardwoods to other markets involves various expenses, such as shipping, handling, and import duties. Some hardwood species are only found in specific regions around the world, which will also increase the price of the final product.

Gutchess Lumber has exported its real American hardwood products worldwide for 100 years, and we know every aspect of shipping.

Labor Costs

Skilled laborers are required to manage forests, harvest timber, transport logs, and manufacture, dry, and ship hardwood products. Hardwood is a natural material, so it is more difficult to process. The labor and skills needed to process hardwood and the need for heavy machinery contribute to its high costs.

At Gutchess, our products come from well-managed forests and timberlands in the northeast, several of which we have owned and managed ourselves for generations. We employ a team of over 40 foresters who have a combined experience of 250 years. Costs come with experience, and the team needed to ensure our hardwood is responsible and sustainable. A cost we believe is one hundred percent worth it. We hope you do, too.

Our process starts with the boards being sawn in our modern band mills, dried in our state-of-the-art kilns, and inspected by highly skilled and well-trained lumber inspectors at least four times, green and dry, to ensure accurate grade and tally, consistent quality, and maximum yield. This process requires skilled workers with extensive knowledge of hardwood and sawmills.

Seasonality and Weather Conditions

Weather and environmental conditions can impact tree growth and harvesting, which directly influences the availability and price of hardwood. Unpredictable natural events, such as wildfires, droughts, and pest infestations, can damage forests and result in a scarce supply that increases prices.

FUN FACT: The emerald ash borer (EAB) is slowly causing the Ash hardwood species to die out. This invasive beetle has killed nearly 100% of ash trees infested with EAB. Specialists predict that the EAB will cause the Ash hardwood species to become extinct. The Ash species is commonly used for baseball bats, flooring, furniture, lumber, and pallet manufacture.

A region’s climate directly relates to the health and productivity of its hardwood production. Regions with stable conditions and temperatures, a healthy amount of precipitation, and lots of sunlight are more suitable for tree growth, which is why the Northeastern region of the United States is the ideal region for souring hardwood that goes into making products. When predictable climates occur, the manufacturing process of hardwood can become more efficient.

Since 1904, Gutchess Lumber Co., Inc. has produced the finest quality northern hardwood lumber through our vertically integrated manufacturing facilities across New York and Pennsylvania. Each of our hardwood species is native to the northeast United States. This means we can control the process from harvest to order fulfillment while keeping our operations sustainable by only harvesting within 150 miles of each of our 7 locations.

The Most Common Hardwood

The most common hardwood varies by region, but globally Oak is most common hardwood. The American Hardwood Information Center found that 52% of American Hardwoods are oak, growing mostly in New England to Mississippi. American hardwoods typically grow in the Eastern part of the country due to soil types and nutrients, moisture, earth, and sunlight. American hardwood forests are responsible for providing hardwood for products like cabinets, flooring, millwork, and furniture. Red and White Oak are commonly used for these products and are the most abundant in the United States.

At Gutchess Lumber, we specialize in sourcing Northern Red Oak from forests within a 100-mile radius of our New York and Pennsylvania manufacturing facilities. Unlike southern Red Oak, which commonly has discoloration and other issues, our true Northern Red Oak offers a consistent color profile and grain that rivals White Oak.

 

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How to Find Your Perfect Hardwood

Using hardwood offers beauty, durability, and value.

Research: Research different types of hardwoods and their characteristics. Understand the pros and cons of each type, what they are used for typically, and their sustainability and durability.

Visit Suppliers: Visit local sawmills, woodworking stores, or specialty suppliers to see and feel the hardwood in person. Each hardwood species has its own unique feel and look, so you will get a sense of its appearance and quality.

Consult Experts: Talk to woodworkers, carpenters, architects, or hardwood sales representatives in your area who can offer advice based on their experience and knowledge. They will also know what wood is most affordable in your region and which will work best for the product you want to create or buy.

Testing the Product: If it is available, try to purchase a small sample of the hardwood you are looking at and test for workability, finishing, and appearance for your specific needs.

Evaluate Options: Compare the hardwoods based on your research and tests, budget, and consider all the factors like durability, aesthetics, and sustainability before creating your product.

The type of hardwood will depend on what product you are creating. William Walker, a woodworker, made recommendations on what woods are best based on products and projects.

The Value of Hardwood and Why it’s Worth It

Hardwood is a valuable material that is durable, timeless, adaptable, and sustainable, making it a top choice for products and projects of all kinds. It continues to prove to be a great investment based on its lifespan, maintenance over time, and the ability to refinish and repair it. It comes in a variety of colors and finishes, bringing any project or product to life. If you choose hardwood, you invest in a material that offers value and sustainability, making it worth the cost.

For high-quality hardwood, Gutchess is committed to providing the best of the best hardwood species. Use our interactive map to locate your region’s dedicated sales representative today.

Think of the Earth like your house on a holiday, filled with so many guests, you are running out of room for everyone to sit. Imagine there is one person turning up the heat even though your house is already extra warm from all of your guests. We will call that one person, Carbon Dioxide. Just like too much heat in your home can make all of your guests uncomfortable, excess Carbon Dioxide in Earth’s atmosphere results in the planet warming up.

Now think of automatic air-conditioning in your home, it kicks on every time your house gets too hot. A process called Carbon Sequestration does this for the Earth. Every time there is excess Carbon Dioxide in the air, warming the planet, Carbon Sequestration helps remove the excess Carbon Dioxide from the air, managing Earth’s “thermostat”. Ensuring that the “house’s” temperature is comfortable enough for everyone.

We understand how Carbon Sequestration plays a pivotal role in regulating Earth’s “thermostat”. Let’s talk about what contributes to Carbon Sequestration, how this process works and the various methods used to improve Earth’s temperature naturally.

The 3 C’s: Climate Change, Carbon Dioxide and Carbon Sequestration

Some key terms you need to know in order to understand Carbon Sequestration are:

Climate Change: occurs when greenhouse gas emissions wrap around the Earth and trap in the sun’s heat, causing the temperature to rise.

Carbon Dioxide: is a colorless, odorless gas produced by burning carbon and organic compounds and by respiration. It is naturally present in air and is absorbed by plants in photosynthesis. This process is called, the carbon cycle:

Did you know, carbon dioxide is the most commonly produce greenhouse gas? Carbon Dioxide forms from daily practices like cooling, heating and lighting. Organizations like EPA monitor how the United States contributed to greenhouse gas emission, specifically our carbon dioxide emissions. In 2022, carbon dioxide emissions totaled 79.7% of total emissions in the United States:

Given Carbon Dioxide results for more than 75% of the total United States greenhouse gas emissions, carbon sequestration is a promising solution to act as Earth’s natural mechanism to remove excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Climate Change, Carbon Dioxide and carbon sequestration form a interconnected system, if one changes they all change. Understanding how they connect is crucial for carbon sequestration to work effectively to build a sustainable future.

The Process of Carbon Sequestration

Carbon sequestration is the process of capturing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide. The purpose behind this process is to stabilize carbon in solid and dissolved forms, so the Earth’s temperate doesn’t get too hot. There are 3 critical processes that take place in each type of Carbon Sequestration:

1. Capture: The CO2 needs to be captured for storage and is separated from other gases.
2. Transport: The CO2 is then compressed and transported using pipelines, road transport or ships to a site for storage.
3. Storage: Finally, the CO2 is injected into rock formations deep underground for permanent storage.

The Types of Carbon Sequestration

Scientists are using different four main types of Carbon Sequestration to solve the ongoing climate change issues. Each type has its own distinct characteristics and process.

Biological Carbon Sequestration

Carbon dioxide is found in vegetation in places like oceans, soil, forests and grasslands. Forests specifically, hold 25 percent of global carbon emissions in plant-rich landscapes such as forests, grasslands and rangelands. Trees in forest act as paper towels for atmospheric carbon. If you spill water on the counter and use a paper towel, it absorbs all the water it can until you have to use another one. Trees do the same, but with carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Trees use the carbon sequestration process to capture carbon dioxide and hold carbon as an effective method of reducing atmospheric concentrations of CO2 pictured here:

Geological Carbon Sequestration

Another way carbon dioxide is captured and stored is through, Geological Carbon Sequestration, in underground rock formations. For example, sandstone and limestone are injected with carbon when industrial plants like steel mills and power plants emit carbon dioxide. Other ways carbon dioxide is injected is through depleted oil and gas reservoirs to improve the recovery of remaining oil and gas. Large volumes of carbon dioxide can be stored using this method. In recent news, Ricardo Pereira, discovered a potential off shore extinct volcano in Portugal that could store gigatons of carbon dioxide.

If this study is successful, this discovery would help store the equivalent of ~24-125 years of the country’s industrial emissions.

Exxon Mobil is a global leader of carbon capture and storage using a geological method. They capture carbon dioxide and inject it into geologic formations deep underground for safe, secure and permanent storage. Their goal was to reduce emissions from sectors like refining, chemicals, cement, steel and power generation. They have now more than 1,500 miles of CO2 pipeline owned and operated – largest network in the U.S. and have the potential to reduce CO2 emissions by > 100 million metric tons a year.

Technological Carbon Sequestration

This is a relatively newer process which involves using technology to capture and store CO2 or make it into a resource.

Graphene production: Graphene is a material that is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon, an example is the lead of a pencil. Carbon dioxide is used as a raw material to produce graphene, a technological material. You can find Graphene in everyday items like your smart phones and other tech devices.

Direct Air Capture (DAC): is when carbon is captured directly from the air. This process is energy intensive and expensive. This technique can be effective, but is still too costly to implement on a mass scale. There are 3 basic steps to DAC that produce 2 outputs: concentrated CO2 and filtered air:

Engineered molecules: Molecules are engineered to create new kinds of compounds capable of singling out and capturing carbon dioxide from the air. The engineered molecules act as a filter solely for carbon dioxide.

Industrial Carbon Sequestration

This method involves capturing carbon dioxide released from industrial processes through pre-combustion, post-combustion, and oxyfuel. This is the least common type of sarbon sequestration.

Pre-combustion capture: During pre-combustion carbon capture before fuel combustion. Benefits of pre-combustion, include high efficiency and relatively easier carbon removal from fossil fuels.

Post-combustion capture: during, post-combustion carbon capture, CO is captured snf removed before they exit smoke stacks from flue gasses after combustion. This process is common for retrofitting existing power plants and has been proven to recover CO2 at a rate up to 800 tonnes/day.

Oxyfuel combustion: Oxygen is used to burn fuel, resulting in a flue gas primarily composed of CO.

How Carbon is Stored in Hardwood

Hardwood trees sequester carbon through photosynthesis by absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and converting it into glucose and oxygen. Hardwoods like oak and maple store substantial amounts of carbon during their lifespand. This is due to their density and longevity. When these trees are produced into hardwood products like furniture, flooring and cabinets they continue to store carbon. Carbon is also transferred through leaf litter and root decomposition. This process contributes to the biological carbon sequestration mentioned above.

The Benefits of Carbon Sequestration

Carbon Sequestration is an effective solution to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate change, by removing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. This process stabilizes the Earth’s temperature and directly impacts the climate change and the natural events associated with it like wildfires hurricanes, rising sea levels and disrupted ecosystems. Renewable and energy efficient ways of living have been developed by scientists leveraging different processes and types of carbon sequestration.

Importance of Carbon Sequestration in Forestry

Over the last 40 years, forests have absorbed 25% of human carbon emissions, slowing the rate of climate change. The longer trees live for, the more carbon dioxide they hold.

The 5 main benefits carbon sequestration in forestry are:

Time: The longer a forest is alive, the more carbon it will hold.

Purification: Water and air. One tree can take in 10 pounds of pollution and produce enough oxygen for 2 people.

Flood Control: Reducing erosion and runoff

Resources: Trees protect resources that humans rely on heavily like food, medicine and landscaping materials.

Dry Land: If there are not enough trees this can result in to much sun exposure and lead to dry soil, more carbon and dead organisms.

Restoring forests with high carbon density, planting diverse tree species to maximize biodiversity, dividing land zones and leveraging a forest’s carbon cycle are a few ways we can maximize the carbon sequestration benefits for forests.

Gutchess Lumber’s Sustainable Forestry and Carbon Sequestration

In 2024, our goal is to create a greener and more sustainable future by practicing responsible forestry management. This practice enables natural forest regeneration and creates climate change-resilient forests, which are known to be more resilient.

Our commitment to minimizing carbon dioxide begins in our forests and supports the flow of carbon that is sequestered in the timber to the hardwood lumber products we produce. Hardwood products can store carbon for decades, centuries, or indefinitely in some cases. By using hardwood products, you can help to mitigate climate change.

You are supporting environmental sustainability when you buy Gutchess hardwood. We also offer Forest Management Consulting, to assist other forest landowners in maximizing their long term returns through professional forest management. We will create a greener future for our customers, for our families, and for our planet.

Every day more and more people are looking to reconnect with nature through hobbies, incorporating nature into their lives and homes and even moving towards more rural areas. The act of reconnecting with nature is called biophilia. The easiest way to connect with nature as a human is by bringing the outdoors indoors. This is a concept called Biophilic Design.

Today, many interior designers are using more natural colors and elements like hardwood, bamboo, and stone in spaces to bring clients’ biophilic design dreams to life. In recent years, more corporate buildings, hotels, and homes have been designed using biophilia, incorporating plants and trees, natural light, hardwood, and more. A recent example is Bloomberg’s European HQ, designed by Foster + Partners. Foster + Partners is a global studio for architecture, engineering, urban and landscape design, rooted in sustainability. They have added a unique and inviting natural touch on Bloomberg’s new London headquarters, with an overall theme of sustainability. It is a great example of sustainable development and biophilia design coming to life:

Designers and architects look at their creations using a biophilic design angle to have a long-term, sustainable impact on people and the world around us. Incorporating hardwood in their biophilic design creates spaces people will resonate with and feel warm in. Hardwood is an extremely durable and versatile material. It gives a natural feel to a space while establishing a connection to the outdoors. You can use variations of hardwood like basswood, black cherry, black walnut, hard maple, hickory, red oak, white oak and white ash to bring any biophilic design concept to life. A few examples of the versatility of hardwood can be found in:

• Flooring: Using hardwood give calm aesthetic, while having a positive impact on the enviroment and has long term durability than using alternatives.
• Walls: If you think of a library what comes to mind? Typically, peace and quietness. Wooden walls in libraries create a sense of calmness to help promote learning and focus.
• Furniture: For generations, hardwood has always been used in furniture manufacturing and gives a timeless look when incorporated into residential and commercial buildings.

The three core principles of biophilic design, Nature in the Space, Natural Analogues, and Nature of the Space, are used by architects and designers in flooring, building, and furniture to reflect a feeling of nature.

Nature of Space is the most common and easiest way to bring biophilia into any design. Examples would include indoor plants, waterfalls, and fish tanks.

Natural Analogues, or man-made elements that mimic nature, come to life using materials such as hardwood, ceramics, wood, stone, patterns and organic forms.

Nature of Space is mostly used by architects to make a personal feeling a certain way in a space, using open views and floor plans. Working interchangeably, these three principles are pivotal in biophilia designs.

Biophilia Architecture using Hardwood

Hardwood products can bring a warm, relaxing, stress-free feeling to any space, creating an optimal living and working environment. It has been proven that incorporating elements of hardwood throughout a building or home can lower blood pressure, reduce stress and help one feel more relaxed. In 2019, the NIH conducted a study on hardwood and the impact it has on one’s health and concluded that, “usage of wooden materials verifies their regenerative and positive impact on the human nervous system, through the appealing aesthetics (color, texture, and structures), high contact comfort, pleasant smell, possibility to regulate air humidity, volatile organic compound emissions (VOC-emissions), and acoustic well-being in the space.”

Architects use hardwood to cultivate a sensual experience through senses like your vision, touch and smell to bring the biophilic feeling into their designs. Foster + Partners designed  Bloomberg’s European Headquarters and heavily relied on the three core principles of biophilia to do so. The new building has rolling walls of glazed hardwood incorporated inside and outside the headquarters. Also, natural ventilation occurs because of the way the fins on the building were angled, allowing for maximum sunlight exposure throughout:

What are the 5 senses of Biophilic Design?

Biophilic design plays on our senses to add elements of nature into a space, making our minds think we are surrounded by nature indoors. Here are the 5 senses of biophilic design:

• Visual: Using different species of hardwood brings a unique and warm experience to a space. When choosing a specific hardwood, you can use different species and colors to create the combination that feels right to the space. A common hardwood species combination is Walnut and Maple as it creates a contrast between light and dark wood tones.
• Touch: The texture of hardwood can resonate with people and connect them to the outdoors, all while being inside. You can incorporate different grains to enhance the feeling of the wood in your space. Fake wooden products do not provide the same sensory experience as hardwoods do.
• Scent: Hardwood gives off a natural, organic scent. This creates calming effects and makes for a positive, relaxing experience. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found that integrating hardwood floors improve indoor air quality because they don’t harbor microorganisms, allergens, or pesticides that can be tracked in from outdoors.
• Hearing: Incorprating water, birdsong, and rustling leaves through water features, soundscapes, or open windows can foster a tranquil environment. Specifically using a material like hardwood, that controls sound frequencies and reduces overall echos in rooms.
• Taste: If you think of a garden, you have an area where you have the opportunity to plant and grow your food, while harvesting living plants before your eyes.

Biophilia and Interior Design

When it comes to interior design, biophilia has the magic to promote overall well-being. By transforming spaces using natural light, organic textures, and materials like hardwood, you can create an entire ecosystem in any building and create a sense of peace and tranquility.

To create a special place using nature in your home, you can integrate hardwoods in flooring, walls and countertops. This can add an organic and earthy touch that connects to the outside world. Oliver Health is a well known interior design consultancy, specializing in projects that promote wellbeing and biophilia design. They have partnered with companies like Westfield, to promote biophilia design concepts in vacant store fronts to show how you can incorporate biophilia design in your own home.

Envision walking through your home with beautiful hardwood complimented by wooden walls and countertops that create a flow between indoors and outdoors. Gutchess Lumber plays a pivotal role in biophilic vision by providing high-quality hardwood. Integrating biophilia and using natural elements like hardwood can cultivate a sanctuary for people to connect with nature. Hardwood has a timeless appeal when used in interior designs. By using Gutchess Lumber, you can leverage hardwood to invite the outdoors into any building, making it a true retreat.

Gutchess Lumber has been manufacturing hardwood for over 100 years and has perfected their process to produce the highest-quality hardwood. Their lumber is used to make furniture, buildings, cabinets and so many other wooden products. Using the highest-quality hardwood you are able to enhance your space to make it beautiful, promoting a healthier, cleaner and more natural living environment bringing a goal of biophilia design to life.

Furniture manufacturers are constantly looking for new places to buy the hardwood that is used to make products, including tables, chairs, bed frames, cabinets, couches, and more. Big furniture manufacturers seek new sources to purchase hardwood because they face challenges in their production line, like inconsistent quality, drying, delivery times, and yields. Challenges like this can be detrimental to the manufacturer’s bottom line. That is why finding a reliable and consistent source to purchase hardwood for furniture manufacturing is crucial.

Sustainable Hardwood Sourcing for Furniture Manufacturers

One of the best places to source quality hardwood lumber is from a sawmill that controls the lumber manufacturing process from start to finish. Companies like Gutchess Lumber, which has been manufacturing hardwood for over 100 years, have perfected their process to produce the highest-quality hardwood, which is used to make furniture and other wooden products.

Gutchess Lumber sources hardwood, in the form of standing timber or logs, from within a 100-mile radius of its manufacturing facilities across New York and Pennsylvania. This allows their forestry team to ensure all trees are harvested responsibly, taking care of the land to promote natural forest regeneration.

Furniture manufacturers can also check how long their hardwood source has been in business. Their longevity in the industry can reflect the quality and consistency of their hardwood products as well. Gutchess Lumber has been in business since 1904, with customers worldwide, including many furniture manufacturers.

American Hardwood for International Furniture Manufacturing

If you are a furniture manufacturer abroad and need quality American hardwood, your best bet is to find a kiln-dried hardwood manufacturer in the Northeastern region of the United States. This region, also called the Appalachian region, is known worldwide for its prized hardwood selection.

Hardwood from the Northeastern Region of the United States

The Northeastern region is known for its hardwood for several reasons, including the favorable climate and species diversity.

In the North, the climate is favorable with cool temperatures and seasons that are actually seasons (there is a true Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter). This climate is ideal for hardwood species because it allows the trees to grow slower, leading to tighter growth rings and a more consistent product.

Several hardwood species thrive in the Northeastern region of America. These include Hard Maple, Soft Maple, Red Oak, White Oak, Walnut, Birch, Basswood, Ash, Beech, Cherry, Hickory, and Poplar.

The Best Hardwoods for Furniture Manufacturing

Some of the best hardwood species for furniture manufacturing are produced responsibly and sustainably by American sawmills like Gutchess Lumber. Gutchess hardwood goes into making tables, chairs, cabinets, and more. See the best hardwood species for these furniture manufacturers below.

Tables: One of the best hardwood species for table manufacturing is Hard Maple. It can be stained or painted to match your catalog of tables or create new products.

Chairs: Cherry hardwood is a great option for chair manufacturers because it is a hardwood species that matures over time. This means that if a chair manufacturer wants to create intricate details on the legs or back of the chair, they will become more prominent over time.

Cabinets: Cabinet manufacturers should consider Red Oak, a popular hardwood species that is a cost-efficient alternative to White Oak and can be stained to mimic the color of White Oak.

 

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Where do Table Manufacturers get their Hardwood?

If you’ve ever visited a Hilton Hotel, P.F. Changs, or Disney restaurants like Cononado Springs or Kona Café and noticed their tables, you have seen Gutchess Lumber’s hardwood! Table manufacturers have trusted Gutchess Lumber as their trusted kiln-dried hardwood source for decades, including Gutchess Lumber customer Table Topics.

Table Topics purchases kiln-dried hardwood directly from Gutchess and manufacturers tables that go into popular dining and hotel establishments worldwide. Table Topics purchases from Gutchess Lumber because they know they will get their shipment of consistent hardwood delivered on time, which is critical when their customers have a deadline for new tables.

For all furniture manufacturers looking for a new source to buy hardwood, look no further than Gutchess Lumber. This 120-year-old sawmill and lumber yard is known worldwide for producing some of the finest kiln-dried hardwood products for furniture, from large pieces to stair treads.

When it comes to hardwood, White Ash is a popular choice for its strength, flexibility, and great looks. Our White Ash hardwood is dense with bright white sapwood, light tan heartwood, and uniform, well-defined annual growth rings. It is known for its durability. Whether you’re creating a masterpiece or a functional tool, White Ash is a choice that can help you feel confident in your creation and will stand the test of time.

Strength and Durability

White Ash is known for its sturdiness and resilience and has a Janka hardness rating of 1320. It has exceptional bending properties, making it firm and malleable. White Ash creations last over long periods, making it the preferred choice of applications requiring strength and flexibility.

Aesthetic

White Ash is known for its stunning appearance, with a light color palette that is creamy white and light tan shades. The grain on the wood is straight and very pronounced, so it adds a touch of elegance when used for any project. White Ash is great for interior design projects because of its versatility. It takes stains well and offers a strong finish.

Sustainability

One of Gutchess Lumber’s core values has always been sustainability, with a strong belief in sustainable forestry practices and a focus on environment preservation. Thus, we ensure that all of our hardwoods, including White Ash, are harvested by following only sustainable forestry practices and preserving this hardwood. We encourage everyone to participate in preserving our biodiversity and only harvest wood sustainably.

 

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Wide Array of Applications

White Ash, with a propensity for durability and malleability, also provides an extensive array of applications. Its longevity and dependability make it ideal for crafting furniture, tool handles, guitar bodies, lobster traps, and flooring. Features such as durability make it the go-to wood for crafting baseball bats and longbows. White Ash is, therefore, the perfect wood to give life to any of your creations while bringing elegance and charm to the project.

We encourage you to work with White Ash for your next project. White Ash brings durability and elegance to any project, making it perfect for almost any application.

Social media is a powerhouse that influences our opinions and decisions more than we think. These platforms have become key players in many industries, influencing trends and shaping market demands—even in the hardwood industry. For example, influencers might create content about a particular type of hardwood flooring in their homes, which could lead to a surge in demand for that style or finish. Companies are able to monitor these trends and adjust their offerings accordingly to meet new consumer demands. It has been very eye-opening to see how posts, trends, and user feedback on social media can sway the hardwood market.

Boosting Brand Visibility and Demand

Regarding hardwood products, visual aesthetics play a major role in highlighting and enhancing their appeal. Social media platforms such as Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram are based heavily on visuals and are the perfect places to highlight the aesthetic appeal of hardwood products. Audiences, especially those who follow specific niches such as interior design and architecture, can be drawn in with aesthetically pleasing photos of finished hardwood products behind the scenes, on how they are made, and where the supply may come from. High visibility on social media platforms can result in a higher conversion rate in terms of demand. Also, engaging with your audience with educational content on the benefits and care of hardwood floors can increase direct sales and brand reinforcement.

Influencing Consumer Preferences

Social media trends are fast-paced and change regularly. As influencers and designers showcase various hardwood uses like eco-friendly architecture and custom furniture, they start new trends in our market. Hardwood suppliers must keep up with these trends and adapt to shifting consumer tastes, all while sticking to their core brand values. Social media has become a great tool for providing real-time data on changing preferences and helping suppliers adjust their product offerings to meet new and evolving market demands.

Enabling Direct Customer Interaction

One opportunity social media offers is the ability to connect directly with many people worldwide. This allows suppliers to engage and cultivate a community of loyal followers built around trust while getting insight into their demands and preferences. Also, direct engagement ensures enhanced relationships, hands-on customer service, and direct feedback, and we can inform customers about product availability and new offerings in real time. Gutchess Lumber has seen success with this on social media.

Facilitating Market Insights

Social media is a valuable tool for gathering market insights on hardwood. You can monitor popular hashtags and topics, which can help hardwood suppliers track trends and understand what the customers want and need. Most importantly, engaging with your audience through comments and direct messages can provide feedback on consumer preferences for your product. Customer reviews and feedback can assist with areas for improvement in product quality and customer service. Social media insights can help suppliers stay ahead of trends and meet consumer needs.

Expanding Reach to New Markets

Social media has enabled suppliers to connect with customers across the globe, breaking down geographical barriers and allowing international expansion. Suppliers can expand into and connect with new markets by targeting specific regions and tailoring content to the trends and preferences of those areas.

All industries need to evolve, adapt, and leverage changes to enhance performance. Social media is a powerful tool that, when properly used, can yield unmatched results and insights. It can even influence the demand and supply of industries, such as hardwood. If you want to share more about the lumber industry and the sustainability of hardwood products, check out Gutchess Lumber’s Lumber Education campaign, where we provide free social media resources, including premade graphics, social media copy, hashtags, and free press releases.

The debate between choosing Red Oak and White Oak has been longstanding. While White Oak has often been lauded for its timeless elegance and durability, it’s time to shed light on a gem that could help your bottom line without sacrificing quality – true Northern Red Oak. At Gutchess Lumber, we’re here to guide you through the strategic advantages of integrating this exceptional Northern hardwood into your business.

Cost Efficiency

In today’s market, making cost-effective choices without sacrificing quality is paramount. Here’s where Northern Red Oak shines. It’s an undeniable fact that Red Oak is typically 2-3 times more affordable than White Oak. This cost efficiency opens up room for a larger margin to help your business’ bottom line.

Performance

When it comes to the essentials when vetting a hardwood species – hardness, stability, and the ability to take on stains beautifully, true Northern Red Oak stands shoulder to shoulder with White Oak.

With a Janka hardness score of 1,290, it’s just a step behind White Oak‘s 1,360, making it a competitive choice for a variety of applications. From flooring to fine furniture, Northern Red Oak meets the mark in the performance department.

The True Northern Red Oak Advantage

Specializing in sourcing premium Northern Red Oak, Gutchess Lumber brings unmatched quality to the table. Harvested within a 100-mile radius of our New York and Pennsylvania manufacturing facilities, our Northern Red Oak does not have the common discoloration issues found in southern Red Oak products.

What you get with True Northern Red Oak is a hardwood with a consistent color profile and a grain that holds its own against White Oak, offering reliability at a better cost.

Debunking Red Oak Myths

Red Oak Can’t Take Gray Stain

Contrary to popular belief, true Northern Red Oak’s adaptability to staining, including trendy gray hues, is commendable. DB Genesis Hardwood showcases stunning stain comparisons, dispelling the myth that Red Oak falls short in this arena. The visual evidence speaks volumes, with Red Oak not just matching but sometimes even surpassing White Oak in aesthetic versatility.

Spotlight on Red Oak in Modern Interiors

Interior design maven Leanne Ford’s choice of whitewashed Red Oak flooring for a high-profile project underscores the material’s modern appeal and exceptional value. Ford’s decision, driven by Red Oak’s abundant availability and its stunning adaptability to various stains and finishes, highlights the wood’s rising status in contemporary design narratives.

Leanne Ford is an American interior designer known for her light and modern style. In a project that was limited on time and budget, she decided to go with Red Oak flooring instead of White Oak. These are some of the benefits of choosing Red Oak, according to Ford:

1. Great value
2. There are more Red Oak trees available than White Oak
3. It’s a modern option
4. Red Oak does have beautiful color & stains well

From chic Red Oak islands enhancing kitchen aesthetics to statement-making Red Oak dining tables anchoring dining spaces, the wood’s application breathes life and warmth into every corner.

Your Invitation to Explore Northern Red Oak

Understanding the weight of choosing between hardwood species for your projects, we at Gutchess Lumber are committed to providing you with all the information you need to make an informed decision. Embracing true Northern Red Oak not only means opting for a material that’s kind on your budget but also choosing a path less trodden, one that leads to unique, beautiful, and durable design solutions.