Calling all woodworkers, DIYers and homeowners looking to support sustainable products – urban lumber may be for you.
Urban lumber is wood cut out of trees that were grown within city limits for their beauty, shade and to block the wind on a blustery winter day. But when these trees eventually have to be removed, there is a growing trend to mill this wood into lumber rather than chipping it into mulch or chopping for use as firewood.
Using these urban trees for lumber is a way of making the most out of them and is a step toward becoming more responsible stewards of the wood these trees have been making, sometimes for more than a century. Milling these urban trees takes a locally renewable resource and produces lumber that can be used to enhance homes, make furniture, flooring, trim or anything else that can be made from wood.
Urban lumber is available at both Habitat for Humanity ReStores in Des Moines, and the store in Iowa City. It was produced from local trees, was processed by local sawmills and is available for anyone to purchase for their wood building projects. Purchasing local urban lumber supports the environment and helps Habitat for Humanity’s mission of helping build homes, communities and hope.
Urban wood is not for structural use (dimensional lumber) in homes, since it has not been “graded” to meet home building standards.