Because they use solid wood in all their construction methods and American furniture, their wood products last for generations. Manchester Wood is part of a family tradition that dates back to 1891. They have designed and produced quality, affordable, eco- friendly solid wood American furniture in the Green Mountains of Vermont and Adirondack foothills of New York for over 30 years.
Certified Wood
All of the lumber that they use to manufacture Manchester Wood furniture is made from wood that has been certified as environmentally friendly and sustainable (SFI-certified). They manufacture all of their furniture and accessories from eco friendly wood from sustainable Northeast hardwood forests which is grown and harvested in accordance with certified standards. All of the lumber they buy is certified by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI). Strict SFI standards include auditable monitoring of timber/wood flows, product labeling, and prohibition of any timber that is illegally harvested. Manchester Wood looks forward to the day when eco-friendly lumber is the international standard for both the timber harvesting and wood manufacturing industries.
Locally Sourced Materials
Part of their philosophy at Manchester Wood involves the use of local materials. At Manchester Wood, all of the hardwood they use for their furniture comes from local forests across the Northeast. They are conveniently situated between the forests of New York’s Adirondacks and Vermont’s Green Mountains which provide much of their lumber. Using local lumber not only supports the local timber industry, but also cuts down on energy spent on transport. Local forests provide plenty of high quality hardwood and even the slate they use comes from local quarries. Buying their materials locally not only means customers can expect top quality, but it also means that each piece of our furniture is filled with the regional character of the Northeast.
American Forests
American-grown wood from sustainable Northeast forests are environmentally building material. Overall, US forests are healthy; while forests in other countries are disappearing, woodlands in America are actually expanding. Even though the population has grown over 165 percent since 1920, the US has approximately the same amount of forest land now as it did then. Currently, growth exceeds harvest by 47 percent. Wood furniture is commonly produced using illegal lumber unsustainably harvested from unhealthy forests. Manchester wood uses trees harvested from US forests. For every tree that is felled, six trees are planted. Other modern construction materials generate more pollution to manufacture and assemble while consuming more energy and relying on non-renewable natural resources.
Harvesting Lumber
Foresters use green techniques to determine when wood should be harvested to keep forests healthy and productive. A good example of such techniques is selective harvesting. Instead of clear-cutting patches of land single tree are harvested which mimics nature. Single trees or small groups of trees that die and fall, or are blown down by strong winds are also harvested. Such harvesting practices encourage new timber growth and biodiversity. Eco friendly harvesting techniques help forests to regenerate and renew themselves.
Manufacturing Practices
Sustainable manufacturing practices include minimizing waste wood and re-using byproducts (i.e. bark becomes mulch and trimmings are processed into paper). Wood furniture manufacturers are becoming increasingly efficient with the raw materials they use. Manchester Wood uses the latest equipment to obtain the needed cuts from their wood while utilizing the most material they can obtain from each board in order to minimize their impact on the environment.
For more information on Manchester Wood go to their website by clicking here.
© 2012, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.
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