Sustainability & Ethos

One of the main reasons (or points!) behind Woodpoint, is that we wanted to embody our environmental and social values in our business. Using materials from within our own country, rather than importing from abroad is one of these, and having previously owned a “traditional” timber merchants, we know the variety and sources we are up against. You won't find us selling Eucalyptus or bamboo when there are credible UK alternatives.

The Vision

Oliver says ‘My passion is to use what we have around us rather than bringing it from afar.’

‘I wanted to weave together the market for natural wood and the need to get people working in the woods again in new real jobs. I wasn’t interested in subsidy; it had to be real products sustained by a good demand creating permanent jobs. We need to peel back some of the focus associated with technology and pay a little more respect to manufacturing, growing, harvesting natural resources and engineering'.

The Woodpoint

We are surrounded by beautiful but overgrown and underworked woodlands and forests in Britain. Young woodlands are particularly overlooked due to the mechanisation that has occurred in timber harvesting during the last thirty years. Large expensive harvesters cannot afford to operate in thicket type crops where volume production rate is low. Yet to thrive woodlands and forests must be thinned.

In these woodlands there are numerous small diameter trees that need to be removed to create space for the best trees to grow. Management and fire risks are improved when young woodlands are thinned. Also because air can circulate more easily around the trees and the microclimate is less likely to induce some tree disease and pests. More light on the forest floor encourages more plant and insect life diversity which in turns helps the animals and birds. Even recreations like walking and bike riding are more pleasant and safer when vitas open up through the trees.

The forest can benefit as well from small scale manual operations. Smaller machines means less damage to forest soil and skilled manual tree fellers can select trees for removal with greater precision than timber harvesters. 

In short there are no losers when young woodland are thinned!

The Skillspoint

Utilising timber from British Woodlands can not only reduce imports but it can also create jobs.

In every city, village and town there is unemployment and in particular there are young people looking for opportunities to learn a skill. Over the years we have employed a number of subcontractors that we have shared our knowledge and skills with - many of whom have gone off to start their own businesses or become employed in similar work.

We are a small specialist team (with support from some fantastic self employed individuals) working across the forest and our workshop/kiln. The shared passion & dedication of these people, in what is sometimes difficult terrain, are what keeps Woodpoint on its mission to develop and continue to champion British, natural wood & associated skills.

The point

Whilst the logistics & manual nature of what we do is not easy and the world wants us to turn to mechanisation & cheap imports - we hope that you too want to support us in nurturing our own resources, reducing air miles and paying a bit closer attention to materials that are on our own doorstep.

Thanks for reading

The Woodpoint Team