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Characteristics of Old-Growth What It Is Old-growth lumber includes trees that were cut during the first forestry wave that swept North America, or those which have never been cut. Wood harvested from trees that have been replanted or re-grown is known as second-growth lumber. Our old-growth timbers were cut between 100 and 200 years ago, and the trees were between 500 and 1,000 years old at the time of cutting. Why It's Different Old-growth trees lived much longer than trees found in today's forests. Without humanity interfering in their natural lifecycle with its forestry and 'management' programs, trees survived for hundreds, even up to a thousand or more years. Because of this extended lifespan, trees could grow taller and reach diameters much larger than today's trees. Additionally, because forests were not 'optimized', it was a much more competitive environment, meaning that trees did not grow as rapidly - leading to much tighter growth-rings and wood density. Natural Beauty Rich in character and heritage, water-reclaimed old-growth lumber possesses a natural beauty that cannot be matched: * Warm, rich colours, including unique mineral staining in some instances * Tight growth rings (10 - 30 times thinner than today's trees) * Much higher incidence of birdseye, blister and flame than in today's wood * Larger dimensions - up to 48" in diameter in some cases * Fresh, unblemished wood - unlike most reclaimed lumber - ours has not been used in previous building projects, thus, you don't need to worry about planning around saw marks, nails, holes or notches. Working With Old-Growth Working with water-reclaimed old-growth does take some getting used to. Due to the hardness of the wood, certain techniques and equipment work better than others. It does depend on the species, and we are happy to discuss this with you or your building team via phone or email.