The quality of the wood you choose creates the foundation everything else will spring from.

A modern home with wooden floorboards. An old-fashioned restaurant with wooden tables, chairs, and bar stools. Hardwoods today are in higher demand than ever, thanks to the growing tastes of customers and the high rates of deforestation the world over. When you seek out sawmill products to pad out your repertoire you’re looking for more than just basic supplies. You want to make sure the effort you put in today will last for many years to come.

What does the future of slab lumber look like? It’s time to take a look at the industry and what it holds for your next project.

All kinds of materials go into crafting a building. Some, however, are much more efficient than others. Making products and creating new establishments from plastic, glass, aluminum, cement, or brick takes 125 times more energy than making products from wood. This is due to both weight and the effort that goes into creating the materials int he first place. To date, wood remains the number one most energy efficient material with which to craft products.

How does this extend to growing trees and cutting them down? According to the USDA Forest Service more hardwoods are grown than harvested each year. The volume of hardwoods throughout American forests has increased by nearly 120% since the 1950’s. Additional data is even more promising. The hardwood timber supply would last more than 75 years if hardwood trees stopped growing today and were still harvested at the same rate.

Hardwood products can be found just about anywhere. You see them used to create buildings large and small. You see homeowners using them for do-it-yourself projects and businessowners reaching out to reclaimed wood experts to supplement their shops. Pallets make up over 90% of total wood packaging and, according to a new study, nearly 95% of all new homes are built using wooden frames. Your average single-family home contains nearly 13,000 board feet of lumber.

The global hardwoods industry is doing very well. Global wood-based panel production reached an impressive 415 million back in 2016. The same year saw roundwood productions amounting to over 1,800 million, an almost 3% increase from the previous year. From the flitch cut slab to the figured cherry, there is an incredible amount of variety for you to tap into and see your dreams fully realized. You won’t have to worry about quality, with people today working hard to harvest and package your materials.

The United States employs over 950,000 people in the American forest products industry. More new homes are cropping up as we know it and there are plenty of people out there right now in need of high-quality hardwoods. A consultant can walk you through the unique properties of each type of wood to better suit your project, whether you’re trying to install new floorboards or want to create your own wooden cabinet. Some wood cuts more smoothly, while others provide a unique finish that can’t be replicated. Oak, maple, cherry, and mahogany remain some of the most popular.

Good quality begets all else. Seek out your high standard with hardwoods that deliver.