|
|
 |
BLACK LOCUST
|
For an overview of all offered wood species click
here.
Identifying new wood sources has long-term environmental and business benefits.
As demand for sustainable wood mounts, sourcing additional wood species helps
Landscape Forms ensure an environmentally responsible continuity of supply for
out products. And in expanding the pool of wood species for site furniture we
contribute to the effort to combat species depletion of woods currently in high
demand.
With this in mind, we have recently expanded our wood offerings to
include Black Locust
It's been known for a long time. Pioneer farmers used it for fence posts.
Leading landscape architects laud its sustainable attributes. Now Landscape
Forms is making it available in outdoor furniture.
Black Locust is a North American species common in the Midwest, Appalachia and
Northeast US. It's a thorny, wild tree that grows as a "volunteer" and is
harvested from areas where it is unwanted. While relatively few wood species
have the strength, durability and weathering characteristics required for
furnishings in outdoor public environments, Black Locust meets these criteria
and more:
- It is a light color wood that resembles ash when freshly cut, and weathers
naturally over time to a dark grey color.
- It is fast growing and regenerates on its own after cutting.
- It is dense and durable. (Fenceposts have been known to last 100 years.)
- It is naturally resistant to insects, microorganisms, rot and decay.
- It can be readily machined.
Sourcing wood close to home is a highly sustainable strategy. Much of the wood
sourced for outdoor furniture comes from tropical forests far away. The yield
rate from a piece of lumber may be low, with much of it becoming scrap, getting
burned or used for animal bedding. Most of Landscape Forms' Black Locust is
sourced within 500 miles of our manufacturing facilities, often from sites being
cleared for other purposes.
Landscape Forms has partnered with a sustainable wood distributor representing
Amish loggers, to supply our Black Locust wood. The Black Locust in our products
is selectively harvested, using teams of horses where required by the terrain or
requested by the customer, and milled into boards in small mills. Boards are air
and kiln dried and graded to Landscape Forms quality standards by a certified
wood grader. 100% of the tree is used. The long, straight sections of the tree
yield furniture-quality boards while wood from remaining parts is used to make
products such as trellises and parquet flooring. Bark and waster are used for
mulch and biomass fuel.
Landscape Forms will offer Black Locust on all wood products with the exception
of those having unique material and dimensional requirements. Weathering
characteristics of the wood have been tested on benches at our own facilities.
FSC® Certified Black Locust will be offered upon request. All products carry the
Landscape Forms three-year warranty.
|
 |
|
|