Trees Made into Flooring and Furnishings Not Firewood

Prior to Halloween, New Jersey was blanketed with four to six inches of heavy snow. The trees had barely lost any of their leaves causing many trees to split.  Huge broken limbs scattered the roads and fell on power lines.  These limbs were big enough to become someone’s new dresser.

One of the Maple trees that bordered my property lost two huge limbs.  As I looked at the massive limbs, I couldn’t help but wonder why anyone would simply split them for firewood.    Couldn’t they use the limbs to make something with it?  Cabinets?  Flooring? A  table?

Saving the Limbs From the Fire

As my neighbor waited for anyone to cut up the tree, I called several woodworking places trying in vein to save these limbs from becoming firewood.  Finally, after several calls, I reached Richard Plog of Newton, New Jersey.

Plog owns a Wood-Mizer portable sawmill.  Unfortunately, after we discussed where I lived and the quantity of the wood I had, it didn’t make sense for Plog to cut up the wood.

Using Clear Cut Wood for Flooring

But he got me thinking.  What happens if you were clearing a section of your land?  Rather than cut up the trees, why not use it for flooring? What about a beautiful maple table?

While I had Plog on the phone, I took the opportunity to get a wood education.   He gladly obliged and walked me through the process of logs to flooring.  First, you can contact someone like him who shows up on your property with their portable sawmill.

After Plog cuts the wood, the lumber is sent to be kiln dried.  (He knows where to send the wood.) Thereafter, the wood is milled into flooring.

In fact, Plough explained the whole process would cost about $2 a board foot. I was impressed since I knew that FSC certified flooring is so much more expensive.  Just to give you an idea how economical this can be,  1Aflooring sells Red Oak in the $3 per square foot range.  This flooring was not FSC certified (from a sustainable managed forest.)

What About If Your Trees Are Not the Same?

What is the likelihoods in your forest that you only have oak, pine, or cherry trees?  No probem, Plog explained.  He has cut different species and the owners use the wood to make multi-specie flooring.  Check out Timbergreen Farm’s flooring photo.

You can also have one room in one specie and another room in another specie.  Plog’s own home has different species of wood for each room.

Want Your Own Wood Flooring?

What happens if you clear cut your own property or you need to thin down your forest?  Plog told me to contact Wood-Mizer and they would have a list who owns their sawmills.  After my conversation with Plog, I call the Company to see if there were any other sawmill companies closer to me.

Just as Plog stated, they had a list.  I called a few more companies but no one else called me back.

So, unfortunately, those 2 limbs that I tried to save became firewood.  For the rest of you, perhaps someone in your town is clearing trees or thinning a forest.  Want new flooring?  See if you can take the trees off their hands.

Join the Conversation:

• Would you consider multi-specie flooring in your house?
• Would you consider one room being one type of tree and another being another type of tree?
• Would you consider making furniture or flooring from your trees?
• Have you installed flooring from nearby trees or had a piece of furniture made from fallen trees?

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