Sustainability is a key to success for the furniture industry
By Bruce Stambaugh
January 9, 2014
471
Summary
Sustainability drives both furniture production and sales
Green isnt just a color. Its a way of life in todays furniture industry. More importantly, being green, or sustainable, is a successful way to do business, especially when it comes to the areas furniture industry.
Green is the marketing term for sustainability. Many use the word loosely to entice customers. Not the furniture-related businesses in the Holmes County area.
Mel Yoder, Chief Executive Officer for Yoder Lumber east of Berlin, sees sustainability as an important ingredient to ensuring the areas wood-related industry is carried from one generation to the next. For him, seeing the big picture is critical for the furniture industry and the environment.
We work with the landowners to help them manage their timber, Yoder said. We primarily do select cutting where we take specific trees out to improve the forest for the future.
Yoder said all of his loggers are certified by the Ohio Forestry Association to properly choose trees to cut while maintaining healthy woodlands.
Its to everyones benefit to operate that way, Yoder said. Select cutting allows forests to regenerate on their own.
Trees are looked at as a crop, like corn, said Wayne Hochstetler, sales manager for Hochstetler Wood north of Berlin. Instead of an annual crop, you harvest the trees every 70 to 100 years depending on the species.
A growing forest absorbs more carbon than a mature forest does, according to Mark Hochstetler, general manager at Hochstetler Wood. Harvesting the mature trees allows the growing cycle to continue and keep everything in balance.
By that he meant allowing younger trees to grow, which in turn provides cover for wildlife like whitetail deer and wild turkey.
If you always sell your best trees, Mark Hochstetler said, that cycle wont happen. The priority for selecting trees is to cut the non-desirable trees first, he said. Another aspect of selective cutting is that it allows the sun to warm the forest floor and stimulate dormant seeds to grow.
Seeds stay viable in the ground for years, Wayne Hochstetler said. Selective cutting allows the seedlings to sprout, regenerating the natural cycle of a forest.
Yoder said that harvesting trees in that manner helps to improve the forest for the future.
According to Wayne Hochstetler, about one third of Ohios acreage is woodland. A century ago that figure was down to only one percent, he said.
To make their emphasis on the importance of conservation of the forests, the Hochstetler family has actually formed three different companies involved with the various aspects of the furniture industry.
Hochstetler Wood, the original of their trio of family owned businesses, primarily builds dining room furniture and office chairs. H W, Inc., also located north of Berlin, makes parts for furniture.
Their newest business is Tiverton Timber in Tiverton, Coshocton County, begun in 1995. It is a 238 acre tree farm where they both plant and cut trees. They were honored as the Tree Farm of the Year in 2006.
Its really about relationships, Wayne Hochstetler said. We have positive relationships with the forests by keeping them healthy, with the buyers by providing them with quality wood products, and with one another by respecting the land and nature.
Yoder echoed that sentiment, but said the entire industry here has the same approach. From forest to manufacturing, he said nothing is wasted, enhancing the focus on being green.
We use the whole tree, Yoder said. The tree tops and limbs of cut timber become fire wood.
In addition, Yoder said that sawdust is used for animal bedding, which the Amish make good use of. Kiln-dried wood shavings are used to fire boilers that heat their buildings.
Yoder listed several other customers who purchase the byproducts of wood.
Slab wood goes to paper mills, he said. Wood chips from woodworking become mulch for landscaping and as wood carpet under school playground equipment. The lumber that doesnt meet the necessary grade to be used for furniture making is sent to pallet shops, according to Yoder.
Of course the best grades of lumber are channeled to the multitude of businesses that require quality wood for their finished product. Furniture manufacturers and retail stores use prime grade lumber. Construction companies purchase the wood materials like trim, lumber and sheeting from wholesale businesses in the area.
Yoder said his business has 500 customers in Ohio, Indiana and Pennsylvania. They purchase mostly red oak and popular. He obtains those trees within 75 miles of Berlin.
Customers appreciate the fact the people in our area pride themselves on the product they produce at a reasonable price, Yoder said.
He sees that as that an integral part of the sustainability in the furniture industry in the Holmes County area. That is good news for customers, local workers and the environment.
After all, living and working a sustainable life is an attribute in and for the entire community. That's as green as it gets.
