Gutchess Lumber Co., Inc. is a leading producer of North American forest products, with seven lumber yards and manufacturing plants located in New York and Pennsylvania. The company takes advantage of the abundant prime North American timber in the region to provide high-quality lumber products to its customers. Gutchess Lumber has been a well-established hardwood lumber manufacturer in business for over a century. Founded in 1904, the company has built a reputation for providing high-quality hardwood forest products to customers worldwide. As a fifth-generation led and employee-owned company, Gutchess Lumber is committed to maintaining its position as a leader in the industry for years to come.

Responsible forest products

Sustainability is a crucial aspect of Gutchess Lumber’s operations. The company is committed to responsible forestry practices, harvesting timber from responsibly managed forests, and using state-of-the-art manufacturing processes that minimize waste and reduce its environmental impact. Gutchess Lumber controls the manufacturing process from the forest through shipping to customers. From harvesting logs to delivering hardwood forest products, the company controls every aspect of the process to ensure the highest quality products for its customers. Watch as logs are added to the log yard at Gutchess Lumber’s Cortland, New York headquarters below.

Hardwood forest products

Gutchess Lumber‘s seven lumber yards and manufacturing plants are strategically located across New York and Pennsylvania, providing easy access to world-renowned timberland. The company also has a robust distribution network that enables it to deliver products to customers across North America and worldwide. One of Gutchess Lumber’s key strengths is its ability to provide its customers with a wide range of hardwood products. The company manufactures and exports hardwood forest products worldwide, including Black Cherry lumber, Hard Maple lumber, Northern Red Oak and White Oak lumber, and other Northern hardwood species. Gutchess Lumber’s products are used in various applications, including furniture making, cabinetry, flooring, and more. Read some Gutchess Lumber customer testimonials here.

World-renowned hardwood lumber

One of the critical strengths of Gutchess Lumber is its ability to provide consistent products. The company has a team of sales professionals who work closely with customers to understand their unique requirements and provide tailored solutions. This customer service level has helped establish Gutchess Lumber as a trusted supplier in the industry.

“We have been trading with Gutchess Lumber for at least 20 years,” a hardwood distributor customer in the United Kingdom said. “They have always been reliable, straightforward and their quality always meets expectations. Gutchess Lumber has always delivered on time, as per their contracts and their staff responsible for documentation are very thorough, ensuring that we never have any problems with the import process. We have no hesitation in advising that Gutchess Lumber is an honorable company.”

Produced by employee-owners

As one of the leading producers of North American forest products, Gutchess Lumber prides itself on manufacturing a consistent product. Maintaining strict quality control standards is one of the key benefits of keeping the entire manufacturing process in-house. Each employee at Gutchess Lumber is dedicated to producing a superior hardwood forest product, as they have skin in the game. Gutchess Lumber is an employee stock ownership company, which means employees are company owners. Listen in as sales representative Trudy Burdge talks about the ESOP program in the video below.

In conclusion, Gutchess Lumber is a leading producer of North American forest products, committed to sustainability, high-quality products, and exceptional customer service. Whether you’re a contractor, furniture maker, or packaging manufacturer, Gutchess Lumber has the products and expertise to meet your needs. Use our interactive map to identify your region’s sales representative and get in touch to purchase hardwood from one of the leading producers of North American forest products.

Baseball fans love nothing more than a good homerun record, which New York Yankees star Aaron Judge just knocked out of the park. When someone steps up to the plate and launches one deep into the stands, the crowd goes wild. What’s even more impressive is when a player breaks an existing record. But have you ever wondered what goes into making a bat that can hit a ball so far? The answer is simple: the material. In this post, we’ll explore the history of some of baseball’s biggest home run records and the hardwood bats that were used to set them.

Babe Ruth’s Record-Setting Season

In 1927, Babe Ruth hit a total of 60 home runs, which remained an MLB record for 34 years. That season, Ruth used a Hickory bat. It was an R43 model that was 35 and a half inches long and weighed 38 and a half ounces.

View Gutchess Lumber Hickory hardwood characteristics, grades, and more.

Roger Maris Breaks Ruth’s Record

In 1961, Roger Maris broke Babe Ruth’s record by hitting 61 home runs in a single season. Maris used a 37-inch, 40-ounce piece of Sugar Maple to achieve his feat. Sugar Maple is actually harder than Ash, which is why it’s often used for building floors and furniture instead of bats. Nevertheless, Maris’ bat was up to the task and helped him make history.

Aaron Judge Breaks Maris’ Record

On October 4, 2022, Judge broke the Major League Baseball home run record with a smashing 62 home runs. Judge previously tied Roger Maris’ 61 run record. To accomplish these feats, Judge swung a 35-inch, 33-ounce Maple bat that is made by Chandler Bats.

View Gutchess Lumber Maple hardwood characteristics, grades, and more.

As you can see, hardwood bats have played a big role in Major League Baseball history. Babe Ruth, Roger Maris, and Aaron Judge all used hardwood bats to achieve their historic feats. Today, companies craft high-quality hardwood bats for professional and amateur players alike. If you’re looking for the hardwood that makes history, be sure to check out our selection of hardwood lumber products.

Hardwood production is an interesting process to witness. It’s even more interesting when you get to see it in person. A video can only do so much justice. That’s why Gutchess Lumber Co. Inc is happy to open its doors to students of all ages to see a glimpse of how hardwood is produced. Gutchess Lumber previously welcomed Agriculture Science and Natural Resources students, part of McGraw Central School District’s AIR CTE pathway program, to see what goes on in our Cortland, New York hardwood sawmill.

A Message from McGraw Central School District

The Agriculture Science and Natural Resources classes, both a part of the new AIR CTE pathway, went to Gutchess Lumber on December 17th for a tour of their facilities. We were shown how logs are processed- from being segregated by species out in the yard, being sawed-graded-bundled, to being dried in their kilns. Chris Barber spoke to the students about employment opportunities and what it takes to do the job- the 3 D’s: dependability, durability, and drive. In addition, he explained the whole process of how a log becomes a board and all the technical aspects of each stage of that process. Despite the cold, students and staff enjoyed the tour and learned quite a bit about a world-renowned company right here in our backyard.

The Hardwood Production Process

The first step in hardwood production is harvesting trees. The Gutchess Lumber Natural Resources Department ensures that the mill has a continuous flow of hardwood logs by working with our own land and individual landowners across New York and Pennsylvania to develop responsible forestry management programs. Once the trees are cut down, they are transported to our sawmills where they are then debarked and cut into lumber. The lumber goes through a kiln-drying process where it is dried to a specific moisture content over the course of several weeks or sometimes months. After the lumber is dried, it is ready to be shipped out and used for various purposes.

Common Uses for Hardwood Lumber

Hardwood lumber can be used for a variety of projects, both big and small. Some of the most common uses that Gutchess hardwood goes into making include:

• Furniture making
• Cabinetry
• Flooring
• Molding and trim
• Wood components
• Caskets
• Stair treads

Why Learn About the Hardwood Manufacturing Process?

It’s always beneficial to learn about how things are produced, especially when it’s something that we interact with on a daily basis like hardwood. Seeing the process in person can also be very eye-opening and might even inspire students to pursue a career in this field. There are several career paths that students get introduced to, including forestry and natural resources, material handling, mechanics, electricity, and more. Who knows, maybe one day these students will be the ones running our yard.

Overall, it was great having students from AIR CTE pathway visit our facility and learn about the hardwood production process. If you are a local business or school and are interested in seeing how hardwood is produced or just want to learn more about the industry in general, we highly encourage you to reach out to us to talk about what we can do to help continue learning outside of the workplace or classroom.