Environmentally Friendly

For centuries American hardwoods have been prized for their beauty, warmth, durability and lasting value. Now Eco-savvy consumers are adding “green and sustainable” to the reason they choose furniture, trim, cabinets and floors made of American hardwoods.

All hardwood forests in the continental US are temperate not tropical. They are home to oaks, maples, cherry, ash, poplar and scores of other broad-leafed deciduous trees. In fact, US American hardwood forests offer a greater number of species than any other temperate hardwood forest in the world, and include many species which grow nowhere else in the world. Each year, hardwood growth is much greater than the annual harvest. As a result there is 90% more hardwoods today than there were 50 years ago. The growing seasons in a temperate forest create the visible tree growth rings that give American hardwoods their distinctive character and figure.

In contract to the evergreens (softwoods) most hardwood are in the eastern half of the United States. Hardwood forests cover 269 million acres: the equivalent of hardwood trees covering every square inch of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, West Virginia, Virginia, Georgia, North Carolina, and half of South Carolina.

According to the US Department of Agriculture - Forest Service, “Healthy forest ecosystems are ecological life-support systems. Forests provide a full suite of goods and services that are vital to human health and livelihood … wildlife habitat and diversity, watershed services, carbon storage, and scenic landscapes, for example. When our forests are undervalued they are increasingly susceptible to development pressures and conversion. Recognizing forest ecosystems as natural assets with economic and social value can help promote conservation and more responsible decision-making.” “Sustainable forestry practices can increase the ability of forests to sequester atmospheric carbon while enhancing other ecosystem services, such as improved soil and water quality. Planting new trees and improving forest health through thinning and prescribed burning are some of the ways to increase forest carbon in the long run. Harvesting and regenerating forests can also result in net carbon sequestration in wood products and new forest growth.”

Hardwoods provide sustainability in meeting today’s needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.  With far more hardwood growth than there is harvesting, American hardwoods are the definition of environmentally friendly, green and sustainable, now and for future generations.

Adapted from the American Hardwood Information Center