Our Green Company

Go green… with wood

The demand for eco-friendly solutions in today’s kitchen and bath designs has led to an overwhelming array of products that claim to serve that particular niche. One material that is – and always has been – environmentally friendly is wood. Not only does wood introduce a warm, natural element to any room, it also offers a functional, high-performance surface that can last generations.

Unlike solid surfaces that are extracted from deep within the earth, wood can be harvested, replanted, and renewed to an almost limitless degree. With advances in sustainable forestry and harvesting practices, wood products can be obtained with a minimal impact on the environment. Even as lumber consumption has grown to an average of 80 cubic feet per year for every American, the U.S. forest service has been able to increase the volume of standing timber ( existing trees) from 14 million cubic feet in 1958 to 22 million cubic feet in 2000. The current ratio of timber growth to usage is 2.1 to 1, meaning that growth of new timber outpaces consumption by a considerable margin.

Even better, proper forest management can benefit the environment by reducing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. As mature trees are harvested, younger trees that take their place consume a much larger volume of carbon dioxide to support both trunk and leaf development, and more than 95 percent of the bark and wood residues generated by lumber and plywood production are reused for energy and in other products.

Grothouse Lumber also offers wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), a non-profit organization devoted to encouraging the responsible management of forests. The FSC ensures that the raw lumber products are sustainably produced and harvested. In addition, there are a number of plantation-grown products that are farmed and replenished on an ongoing basis. These include teak and bamboo, as well as Lyptus, which is the trade name for a hard, yet fast-growing wood that’s a hybrid of two species of Eucalyptus trees.

We consider wood surfaces to be heirlooms that can last generations. A properly manufactured counter or butcherblock can be used for decades with just a little regular care and maintenance. And even if it outlives its usefulness as a counter, the surface can be repurposed or recycled with a minimal impact on the environment.

After all, unlike many of the raw materials used today, wood actually does grow on trees.

Paul Grothouse, Owner
The Grothouse Lumber Company