Here in the United States, wood is used for so many different things. After all, wood is often a part of the underlying structure of just about every home constructed here in the United States. In addition to this, wood can be used for all different types of furniture, and even for various aspects of design. The rustic look is very “in” right now, and the sales of wood furniture have been high. We even use trees, where wood of course comes from, for other purposes, as they provide us with important resources like paper.
All in all, we need wood, but our use of new wood is not as positive and ideal as one my think. Unfortunately, the use of new wood is something that has become quite concerning not just here in the United States but in many other places around the world. For one thing, more than three trillion total board feel of lumber have been milled over the last nearly 120 years alone, a number that is truly staggering by just about any means.
In addition to this, wood waste has become a real problem as well, particularly when you take a look at just about any given construction site here in the United States. After all, if you look at just about any construction site you’ll likely see that up to one quarter – if not more – of all the waste produced is nothing other than wood waste. This wood waste can be hugely detrimental to the environment, as it is typically just thrown away and not really repurposed in any way.
Fortunately, there are many ways that wood can be repurposed. Already, more than two and a half million tons of pallet wood was recycled in the year of 2015 alone – a number that has only continued to grow in the years that have transpired since. For many people, purchasing products that have been made out of reclaimed wood instead of new wood is just as good – and the products are just as high in quality as new wood products, which is really what matters at the end of the day.
And reclaimed wood products come in all shapes and sizes. The classic steel ladderback chair, for instance, can easily be made from reclaimed wood. In fact, the classic steel ladderback chair doesn’t even necessarily have to contain wood at all. If such a chair as the classic steel ladderback chair does, however, ensuring that it is reclaimed wood and not new wood can be hugely beneficial for the planet as a whole. But the classic steel ladderback chair is certainly not the only type of furniture made through the use of reclaimed wood.
In addition to the classic steel ladderback chair, reclaimed wood tables have become quite commonplace in a number of different settings. The typical home, of course, can easily include tables with reclaimed wood tabletops. Of course, restaurants also need tables and reclaimed wood tables for restaurants can be just as useful as restaurant tables that have been made from new wood instead. Fortunately, the tables that have been made from reclaimed wood are not likely to be all that more expensive than new wood tables, though they might be just a little more difficult to find – though this, too, is something that is changing as environmental consciousness rises and reclaimed wood becomes more of an option – for everything from the classic steel ladderback chair to reclaimed wood siding – than every before in history, especially here in the United States.
At the end of the day, moving away from the use of new wood as much as is possible is likely to be ideal for the environment as a whole, something that we need to protect as much as is possible now more than ever before. After all, without the environment, we have nothing. Fortunately, buying reclaimed wood products instead of new wood products is a great first step to take, and one that can be done by just about everyone.
