Trees and forests are important natural resources our planet needs not only to survive but thrive. Among their benefits, trees:

1. Take in air, use the carbon dioxide, then emit oxygen back into the atmosphere.
2. Filter air pollutants in urban areas.
3. Improve water and soil quality.
4. Help stop ground erosion with their deep, thick roots.
5. Provide shade and homes to small animals.

All of those things are good, right? So cutting down trees to use in construction — isn’t that bad? Not necessarily. At Mid-Atlantic Timberframes, we make sure our timber construction helps to preserve forests, not destroy them.

Reforestation: The Key to Timber’s Sustainability

Forestry in the United States has come a long way in the last fifty years. Where large swaths of trees were once permanently removed, today many foresters around the country are dedicated to reforestation — the natural or intentional restocking of forests and woodlands that have been depleted.

This benefits humans, animals, the climate, and the environment in all the ways listed above and more. But this responsible forest management also benefits private forest managers economically, as it keeps a continuous supply of timber available for them to utilize and sell — and therefore, a supply of timber for manufacturers to buy to make wood products such as lumber, paper, pencils, furniture, and so much more.

Reforestation makes building with timber a very sustainable practice. Timber is a renewable resource, and, if sourced from these responsibly managed forests, its harvesting doesn’t contribute to deforestation. Mid-Atlantic Timberframes sources and harvests all of our timber from responsibly managed forests in the United States, and for each tree our suppliers cut down, they plant as many as ten in its place.

Standards for Responsible Forest Management

The Forest Stewardship Council^® (FSC® C164575) is an independent international organization devoted to setting standards for protecting the world’s forests. More than 550 million acres of forest are certified under their system — including 155 million acres in the United States and Canada alone.

Mid-Atlantic Timberframes is proud to be FSC^® certified. We feel it’s important to support an organization like FSC^® because of our shared goal of protecting forests, a natural resource we cannot afford to deplete. Thanks to their efforts, forests will remain viable for generations to come.

Doing Our Part

Mid-Atlantic Timberframes is committed to usung sustainable practices in our business every day (we even recycle the timber waste produced in our manufacturing process). It’s our way of doing our part to combat deforestation and preserve Earth’s natural resources. Have questions? Contact us to learn more.