Sustainability
Sustainability
Our sustainable materials are harvested with habitats in mind, resulting in beautiful and characterful finishes. Our ethos is deeply rooted in sustainability, and as such we value longevity extremely highly.
Locally Sourced
Rougham Estate, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk supply all of our milled wood. They manage their woodland sensitively and are protective of the biodiversity of the estate. Having their own mill on site means that the trees can be felled, milled and where appropriate seasoned on the estate.
The estate largely use a thinning process, with many of the larch, oak and chestnut felled being over 50 years old. They are felled so the woodland around them can flourish, feeding the younger trees with more light.
Will Streatfeild holds BM Trada certificates, for visual grading soft woods and hardwoods. Meaning we can supply structurally graded timber from the trees felled on Rougham Estate and trees we receive from other local managed woodland.
Henry Streatfeild
Will Streatfeild
Carbon Friendly & Low mileage
This means that all the wood will have travelled just the few miles to you. Fully regenerative and extremely carbon friendly, we also love this wood for its level of character and beauty that most of the building industry dismiss as inconvenient. It fits our ethos & style of carpentry perfectly.
Coppicing
The sweet chestnut that we use for our structural carpentry, is felled in woodland near Halstead, in a small, well-run coppice, on a 25-year cycle managed by the Westover Woodlands. All of the larger branches are also worked into our designs, with only the smallest sections being left to create habitat areas in the woods.
Coppicing sequesters more carbon from the atmosphere than any other method, because it repeats the tree’s most vigorous first 10 years of growth. It is a magical way to grow wood. Coppicing also encourages huge biodiversity by allowing light to the understory with each harvest, on rotation.
Westover Woodlands
We have a longstanding and trusted relationship with Westover Woodlands and their commitment to sustainable, traditional woodland management resonates deeply with us. Their expertise ensures we source only the finest, ethically-managed timber, allowing us to create our structures with respect for both the material’s heritage and the future of our shared environment.
Stephen Westover – BSc(Hons), Dip.Arb.(R.F.S.) M.Arbor.A
Stephen is a silvicultural (care and management of trees) and arboricultural (care and management of woodland) consultant and contractor. He specialises in managing the countryside, with a distinct focus on overseeing small-scale preservation and maintenance of ancient semi-natural woodlands.
Becky Westover – ND (Countryside Studies), BA (Hons)
Becky joined her father’s business after having worked with local tree surgery firms in Oregon, U.S.A., and on the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia.
WonderWood
WonderWood supply us with all our willow from their base at Grantchester Meadows. They utilise traditional tools and methods to manually cut their own materials sourced from local, sustainable woodlands and willow beds. We have worked in collaboration with them on some of the projects where they contributed their expertise in crafting beautiful willow fencing, woven screen, gates and arches.
WonderWood co-founded The Wonder Of Wood Fair together with us, Cambridge’s first annual woodcraft fair.
Longevity & Durability
Part of being sustainable is creating structures that last. We use high quality materials (alongside strong fixings and the highest level of carpentry) to ensure our work will stand the test of time. Our traditional carpentry techniques keep joints strong.
We look forward to revisiting our structures, it’s a joy to see them ageing gracefully and blending into their surroundings.
We offer a maintenance plan to keep your structures in good condition so you can enjoy them for years to come.
Education & Teaching
Education is a huge part of who we are. We love to tell the story of the coppice (1 tree magically becoming 10!) and to show the biodiversity it creates. We love to demystify the process of building with local wood, to excite the next generation as they take over stewardship of the world.
Items for sale
We often create one-off items for various events, exhibitions, and workshops. As part of our sustainability, recycling, and upcycling ethos, we make these pieces available for purchase.
