Preston Woodcraft was born from a need to better serve Customers that desire a hardwood decking tile solution for elevated rooftops and plazas, or on grade patios, balconies, and outdoor living spaces. We have aligned ourselves with the premier pedestal support manufacturers to provide a winning combination that gives our Customers a quick, modular way to have a beautiful hardwood deck as an alternative to concrete pavers. Our ability for flexible manufacturing has gained us a strong reputation in the deck tile industry. A look at our ‘Installations’ page shows that we are capable and competitive.
Today, our team also produces accessories such as planter caddies and planter boxes. In addition, we are working with reclaimed wood to create amazing wall paneling and artistic signs. All from our small shop just outside of the city of Seattle. While we may import the hardwood to make our products, we are hands on with all the assembly and finishing steps.
Sustainability
Preston Woodcraft cares strongly about the environment and our impact upon it. Therefore we correctly find ourselves evaluating our use of natural wood products. Certainly, with the tropical rain forest origins of our wood supply, appropriate questions arise about the ecological consequences of harvesting tropical lumber. First and foremost, we do everything we can as consumers of tropical wood to ensure that we are part of the solution to improve forest sustainability. To that end, we are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council® which has implemented a global system of verification of sustainable forestry practices, and we try to use and promote the use of FSC®-certified wood wherever possible. We also require our incoming wood supply to show Proof of Origin and Legal Harvesting, and Proof of Legal Export. With these records, we are compliant with the Lacey Act governing import of wood products into the U.S. In addition to this, we buy our wood supply as close as possible to the final dimensions needed for our products, thus our recovery rate is over 95%, and almost no waste is generated. Not only that, the wood we purchase is effectively a remnant or downfall of the normal production of standard length decking and flooring, so we are helping the sawmills in South America increase their effective yield as well; better yield means less waste and less need to cut or buy additional logs. With these measures, we feel that we are creating deck systems and green roof environments in the most environmentally sensitive and efficient manner possible.
Of course, there remain interesting questions regarding the use of man made versus natural materials. This is especially true in exterior applications where long term maintenance and replacement costs are of great importance. While the advances in PVC based composite products have been impressive, they come with their own set of problems given the amount of energy required to produce, lack of long-term performance, and generally disappointing appearance compared to natural wood. To its credit, tropical wood has a service life as decking of well over 50 years, which makes it a good economic and environmental choice as there is no need to replace the deck on a 10-15 year cycle as is typical for pressure treated wood, and the juvenile Cedar & Redwood that is currently sold for decking.
Architects, builders, and consumers who are concerned with making green choices need to consider that a lumber product harvested from the Amazon Basin doesn’t automatically make it a poor choice. Because of its ideal climate, Amazon grown trees can reach harvestable size very rapidly. Turning away from tropical wood can diminish incentives to conserve and manage those forests in a sustainable manner. Since a significant market price is paid for tropical wood being harvested in a responsible, sustainable manner, this is effectively an investment in the conservation and proper management of forests. The local Amazon people have to make a living and they will resort to clear cut farming if more attractive alternatives are not available. Jobs from sustainable yield logging are not the complete answer but they do provide an alternative.
Unlike in the 1970’s and 80’s, today Brazil takes a sophisticated approach to managing its forests. With the creation of IBAMA in 1988 (Brazilian Institute of Environmental and Renewable Natural Resources), many things changed with respect to environmental policy and integrated protection and conservation of natural resources. IBAMA recognized that Brazil’s resources should be scientifically rationed to create maximum growth coupled with maximum conservation with preservation for future generations. With IBAMA in control Brazil now requires tree harvest certifications to accompany all lumber from standing trees in Brazil to warehouses in the U.S. Certifications must accompany lumber at all times with the risk of confiscations and penalties for non compliance. Loggers must acquire harvest certifications which allow them to harvest limited trees from specified areas. Aided by high tech tools, the Brazilian government now has weapons to resist illegal logging and exporting lumber products. Even though logging takes place in remote areas, trucks with certification documentation can be tracked with GPS’s. Satellite surveillance of logging areas is another tool for regulation. Penalties for non-compliance can ultimately lead to a shut down of the mill.
Given a greater understanding of the supply for our products, we hope the choice to use and enjoy natural and long-lasting tropical wood becomes easier to make.
About the Forest Stewardship Council®, and FSC®-certified wood
FSC®-certified wood, used in many of our Preston Woodcraft deck tiles, is harvested from forests that are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council®. These forests are managed to meet the highest global standards for forest sustainability. FSC® certification of wood products assures the Consumer that the products they purchase have positive environmental attributes and are backed by an audited system of verification from end-to-end.
The Forest Stewardship Council is an independent, non-profit organization of individuals who promote the responsible management of forests around the globe. They are non-governmental, and their list of requirements is decided by group consensus. Established in 1993 as a response to concerns over global deforestation, FSC is a pioneer forum where the global consensus on responsible forest management convenes and through democratic process effects solutions to the pressures facing the world’s forests and forest-dependent communities. FSC is nationally represented in more than 50 countries around the world. Learn More
