Sustainability

Opposite: A mature oxygen releasing oak tree.

On average, oak trees create about 100kg of oxygen a year which means in the 150 years it takes to mature, they create approximately 11,250m2 of Oxygen.

Opposite: Biodiversity at its best.

As trees mature, they die back and start to rot. Woodland management supports natural regeneration by cutting well matured trees down before they start to rot to leave space for new trees to grow. This is proved to increase biodiversity.

Opposite: English Oak slowly and naturally drying.

At Whippletree, the process of cutting down and hauling the timber then cutting it for stock is the main use of resources, fuel and electricity, unlike the industry in general that artificially dry their timber.

Opposite: Biomass fired heat-vent kilns at Whippletree.

All of our timber then naturally air dries to an equilibrium moisture content. If required, the wood is kiln dried to a lower moisture content in our biomass kiln that runs on offcuts and sawdust from machining.

Opposite: Biomass boiler burning waste to kiln dry our Oak.

Wood is carbon neutral – Rotting wood releases the same amount of carbon dioxide as burning wood meaning its actually more energy efficient to burn it and capture the heat that it creates than to let it rot in a forest. We use the heat from our biomass boiler to heat our office and workshop as well as heating the kiln used to lower the moisture content of our timber.

Opposite: New trees (background) growing in place of felled trees.

In the UK, within 3 years of the original trees being taken out, new trees must be planted in place at a density of 1100 trees per hectare of land. It is Illegal to fell growing trees without government permission.