Lumber Lament

I am often asked about our lumber sources. Do we buy only from FSC certified sources who utilize proper forestry conservation practices?

The answer… well... I think so. Most of the area we live in is part of one of three protected forests. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, The Martha Sundquist State Forest and the Cherokee National Forest. To do any logging on controlled property, you have to get a permit from the National Forestry Department. I assume the NFD knows what they’re doing, but don’t know if they’re FSC certified.

A lot of times the lumber we buy comes from someone who drops a few trees on their own land because they want to build a house or expand an existing one. We’ll buy the logs, or the lumber from the logs, because I know where they came from.

Normally, I dry my own lumber. Some I get in log form and have it sawn, some I buy as rough sawn green lumber from a mill that gets a load of especially nice stuff and calls me to see if I want it.

Then I bring it here and “sticker stack” the lumber to allow air to flow through the stack and cover the stacks with tin roofing to keep the rain off. I had hoped to build a large lumber shed this year to keep the weather away from it completely, but that hasn’t worked out yet. It takes about a year to air dry 4/4 lumber but, if done right, the wood suffers less and yields a more stable piece of lumber than kiln drying does. These are just two of the stacks I have tucked away on our property. One is hickory, one is red oak. I also have poplar, cherry, walnut, maple and a little chestnut oak.

If I run out of “on-hand” stock, then I have to buy what I need from a mill or lumber supplier. A lot of what’s available locally is construction grade – used to build homes, especially log homes. Buying from mills is cheaper, but I have to spend a lot of time and effort picking through the stacks for the good stuff. Buying from a supplier costs more and the nearest one is at least an hours drive away from here, but their lumber is pre-sorted by species and grade, and all stored indoors. No slogging through the mud at a mill.

Clear cutting is not something that I've ever seen practiced around here. Because logs are available locally, mills rarely have to import logs from other parts of the country, so we have a pretty close eye on where the lumber we use comes from and are confident that we’re not endorsing or supporting anyone using poor conservation practices.

We buy a lot of lumber from these fellows. In fact the lumber from these logs is in our private lumber yard now.

For information about conservation organizations visit the
Conservation page in our library.

Check out our Lumber Suppliers page to find hardwood suppliers around the country. (None of our local suppliers have web sites)