Hardwood floors are some of the most popular of any kind of flooring. They have been used since the time of antiquity. Wood is a great choice because it can be cut, shaped, and styled to fit just about any home. It is long-lasting, insulating, and attractive. If you want a floor that will last for a long time, you can’t go wrong with hardwood. However, hardwood does have a significant drawback. In some cases, the hardwood can actually harm the environment. Obviously, hardwood is sourced by cutting down hardwood trees. There are ways to mitigate the damage that might do to trees; some companies even improve the environment with every floor they sell.
Diseased Trees
As living entities, trees are susceptible to damage from pests, fungus, and disease. There are ways to limit these problems, but in some cases, trees become hopeless afflicted. For example, emerald ash borers are a pest that infests and eventually kills ash trees. They’re very difficult to guard against. For that reason, ash trees that become infested are cut down and removed from the area. If they’re not, they’ll infect more trees. Some hardwood flooring companies specifically use wood from trees infested with ash borers and other pests. Alternately, the wood might come from trees that have diseases such as citrus greening or other incurable illnesses. If you buy these trees, they’ll actually be improving the environment by removing dangerous trees.
Fallen Trees
For many different reasons, trees will die. Many of them will fall as a result. Some timber companies specifically source fallen trees or dead trees. Removing these trees from the forest can improve the undergrowth and improve sunlight getting to saplings. That will help grow new healthy trees.
Salvaged Wood
Most sustainable companies do what they can to reduce the number of trees they cut down. If they can salvage wood, they won’t have to cut down any trees. Salvaged wood can come from many different sources. The simplest option is to salvage a used hardwood floor and install it in your own home. Alternately, the salvaged wood might come from scrap wood, construction projects, demolition projects, or wood shipments that were damaged.
Some types of salvaged wood are actually more valuable than any kind of new wood. One such example is milled lumber that fell off boats decades ago. It has sat at the bottom of rivers for decades and now has character that cannot be replicated. This wood is sustainable, responsible, and very valuable.