Our Forest Free model is a fresh approach to wood products where we partner with local tree services to rescue and repurpose the trees cut down in and around Atlanta yards.

Forest Free Approach

Eutree's integrated approach to the production of solid hardwood flooring and other custom wood products differs radically from the conventional system. That difference starts with one basic rule: we never set foot in a forest.

Our Forest Free lumber is harvested from the logs of specimen trees that otherwise would be turned into mulch or dumped at the landfill. We work with local tree services to bring the logs to our mill.  All on site, we process the logs into flooring, paneling, slabs and other wood products. Then, we ship those products to our customers.

Through our "Root-to-Fruit" program, some of our products even end up inside the building that sits on the site of the tree that supplied the wood in the first place.

Simple. Sensible. Efficient. But then again sustainable practices shouldn't be complicated, difficult, or expensive. They should make sense from every perspective.

How it works

1. Trees are removed by tree services

Metro Atlanta tree services send millions of board feet of mature hardwoods each year to the region's landfills.  It's difficult to estimate the exact amount. If those fine specimens of oak, pecan, hickory, cherry and other species don't end up in a landfill, they're often diverted to such low-value uses as mulch or firewood.

It's not as if tree services want to waste valuable wood. Often, they have no other place to take the tree.

That's where Eutree comes in. We're disrupting the chain of wasteful disposal of felled urban hardwood. We aim to change what typically is a burden for metro Atlanta tree services into a commodity. We're already working to help the most forward-thinking tree services route their best hardwood trunks to our mill just outside the city.

For tree services, we're creating something of value. For designers, architects, builders and furniture makers, every hardwood log we divert becomes an excellent source of sustainably harvested material.

2. Eutree Picks the best timber

Every tree cut down by an Atlanta tree service won't make the cut for Eutree. We individually pick the timber that's most promising for solid wood flooring and other premium products.

Although knots and other imperfections can provide character, particularly for furniture and built-ins, we generally seek large, straight unblemished trunks that can be milled and sawed into regular boards for flooring and paneling. 

The flexible setup of Eutree's mill allows us to cut entire production runs to order, often using one, two or three identifiable trees. Our inventory provides the stock necessary to meet a wide variety of industry specifications.

3. The trees are repurposed into fine products

Great wood products require great source material, the right equipment and excellent craftsmanship. Our chief sawyer first cants Eutree's carefully selected logs on our Wood-Mizer WM1000, and then slices each cant into custom thickness for use as boards, slabs or beams. Careful attention to detail allows each part of each log to be purposed for its best use.

The boards are slowly dried in our onsite kilns. After up to three months of cooking, they're ready to be planed, molded and sorted. Our flexible setup allows us to shift between standardized and custom products, whether they're floor planks, panel boards, structural, lumber, slabs or furniture materials.

Forest Free materials are the antidote to a world where commodities have replaced craftsmanship. Each locally sourced tree has been selected for a specific purpose and intentionally transformed into the finished product.

4. The Forests stay happy

Lumber suppliers have taken a great step toward reducing environmental impact by following sustainable harvesting practices. Our Forest Free business model takes sustainability one step further. There are several reasons that Forest Free harvesting is the most environmentally benign way to source lumber.

Forest Free trees are permitted and slated for removal regardless of demand for the wood. The tree may be looming over a home, in the way of a new road or building, or hazardous because it has grown into utility lines. So using the Forest Free trees for wood products doesn't increase habitat destruction, loss of tree canopy, or other environmental costs - the tree will be cut down whether it's sent to a landfill, mulched or turned into high-quality flooring.

In addition, the environmental benefit of your Forest Free timber isn't just something that appears on paper as some sort of tradeable credit. Our chain of custody is very straightforward: from tree service directly to our mill, where it's either fully or partially turned into the finished product.

Finally, the local nature of our business greatly reduces the carbon emissions inherent in moving heavy materials from place to place. Transportation both to and from the mill is measured in tens of miles rather than hundreds or thousands.

Forest Free represents the next step in sustainable wood products. We're glad to be at the forefront of creating wood products without a splinter of forest.