What is ‘old growth’ timber?

You may have heard of old growth timbers before, especially in relation to new growth or plantation timber. The term is thrown around a lot in woodworking and forestry circles, but what does it mean exactly?

Simply, old growth timbers come from trees in old growth forests, which are forests where “the effects of disturbances are now negligible1”. These are forests where there are many large, old trees, and where the overstorey (the highest level of trees in a forest) is very mature. Many of these trees also contain hollows, and dead branches in the upper sections. These forests also contain a wide range of species in the understorey (the space underneath tree canopies where other shrubs and small trees grow) and subcanopy ranges, including many dead trees and vegetation2. All of these features are critical for maintaining biodiversity and natural ecological functions, as well as having cultural and practical importance for First Nations people around the continent.

Unfortunately, despite their importance and value, much of the old growth forests around Australia have been cleared, whether by logging, clearing, or fires exacerbated by a warming climate. What does this mean for us as woodworkers though?

Where does old growth timber come from?

These timbers come from existing forests all over the world, rather than from forests planted by people in the past century or so. Forests exist all over this continent, with considerable mills in Queensland, north-east NSW, Tasmania, south Western Australia, and more.

When we talk about old growth timber, it can be easy to think that we’re talking about timber that was logged a long time ago, but sadly this wood is still felled on a commercial scale today. Native forestry sawmills move through old growth forests and not only cut down the trees containing usable timber, but clear the vegetation around them in order to get access. This process can result in a majority of the forest ending up as woodchips or wood waste, sometimes with up to 95% of the forest ending up this way3.

Unfortunately, no old growth forests in Australia are logged at an ecologically sustainable level.

However, the other place we can access this timber is through recycling and reuse of timber.

Are old growth timbers better?

It can be easy to simply say that old growth timbers are better, but it really is relative. Old growth timber has many benefits, but so does plantation timber, and it really depends on your project.

Old growth timber

Positives

• Can be firmer and stronger

• Often tight growth rings

• Can be found in early/pre-20th century buildings and structures and therefore recycled

• More likely to have unusual character which can be desireable, ie. burls, quilting, flamed appearance, etc.

Negatives

• Newly milled old growth timber is not a sustainable product

• Often available in less standard sizes and shapes

• Due to natural growth may have unusual shapes or characteristics which are not always ideal for sawing planks

Plantation timber

Positives

• Much higher sustainability

• Easily available

• Access to standard sizes and structural characteristics, which is ideal for construction and other industrial work.

• Confidence that you will be able to access more of the product in the future / build a more reliable supply chain

Negatives

• Can have wider growth rings and more movement over time

• Monocultural forestry has many downsides, including destruction of forest that is the native habitat for many species of flora and fauna

For most people, we use the timber that is available to us, which is mostly plantation timber in big box and specialty timber shops. However, there is still a lot of newly-logged old growth timbers available on the market, and it will require us as consumers to make an active choice to not use them.

At Among The Trees, we are thrilled to stock a range of old growth and plantation timber that was salvaged and rescued from buildings and other sites where it has already served a long life, so you know you’re buying timber that doesn’t contribute to ongoing old growth forest logging.

References

1. Nationally Agreed Criteria for the Establishment of a Comprehensive, Adequate and Representative Reserve System for Forests in Australia. JANIS 1997

2. Old Growth Forests. Pamphlet by the NSW Deparment of Environment and Conservation

3. Plantation vs. Old Growth Timber. Fenella Barry, The Wilderness Society