Western Red shingles roof and wall + Inland Larch decking with Staatsbosbeheer

Gras Wood Wide

Wood is the only renewable raw material that is not only cheap to process, but also stores and retains CO2 after it has been made into a product. In addition, the extraction of wood from production forests is simple. The supplied Western Red Cedar wood is PEFC certified and the native larch is FSC certified. 

Made from

Wood (by definition a 100% bio-based product) from British Columbia in Canada, but also (although limited) the northwest of the USA.

Production process

Shingles are produced from parts of the trunk that are not good enough to use. It is going too far to say that it is made from the remains of the tree, but it ensures that a trunk is optimally used for sustainable products.

Appliced

Wood is durable, allowing it to last for a very long time. Churches in Norway and temples in Japan have lasted over a thousand years. In North America, there are many examples of historic wood buildings from the 16th century that are still standing. Even the foundation of the Empire State Building rests on wood piles. Wood is reused in many new buildings. 

Environmental impact

  • As is commonly known, wood stores CO2 and the production process requires much less energy compared to plastic, aluminum or concrete.
  • In addition, wood has naturally occurring thermal properties. It conducts heat and insulates better than steel and concrete, so it saves even more energy when it comes to heating and cooling homes. 
  • Roof shingles and side shingles are generally not painted, so no chemical/toxic additives are required.

Good to know

The cedar tree is a symbol of endurance, eternal life and immortality. The Native Americans of North America relied heavily on Western Red Cedar. They made cribs, clothes, shelters, canoes and even coffins out of them.

Growth

The main limitation in Western Red Cedar shingles is the small scale in which it is cut compared to other woods. There aren’t many kinds of wood from northern forests, except for some alternatives in Yellow Cedar, that have such a high durability. It often has an aesthetic reason for use and will therefore not quickly become a mass product in Europe.

Decks

The decking is also made by Gras Wood Wide. The Inlands larch that was used for this comes from Staatsbosbeheer. We have no further information about this.

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