Growth rings

In his recent ABC Gardening Australia profile architect Paul Haar goes to a building site – he wants to talk about pine – the timber we use to build stud walls in our houses.

Paul holds up a four-by-two end-on to the camera.

Pointing out the very fine growth rings, Paul estimates this piece of wood comes from a 200-300 year old Baltic pine. 

He then shows a second four-by-two, three broad growth rings indicate it’s from a 30 year old Australian Radiata pine.

To most builders there’s no difference between Baltic and Radiata pine; pine is pine is pine, they cost the same, they build stud walls and roof trusses the same.

Baltic pine sounds so wholesome; it makes me think of saunas, mid-century Danish furniture, singing along to Norwegian Wood in my bedroom when I was fourteen.

The truth is not so wholesome – the 200-300 year old Baltic pines we’re building our houses with are being cut from a fast disappearing boreal forest in Eastern Russia. 

This Amazon-sized eco-system, home to Siberian tigers, is a massive carbon sink and won’t ever be replanted – once it’s gone, it’s gone. 

The Radiata pine meanwhile comes from a local plantation which will be regrown after each harvest.

Learning about these two types of pine is like discovering the difference between battery hens and proper free range chickens.

My reaction is, Why don’t we know this? Why don’t they tell us this at hardware stores?

Like Baltic pine there are lots of other native timbers we use every day but don’t talk about – Merbau from South East Asian rain forests, Cumaru from South American jungles, even our own old growth Mountain Ash.

This timber cone-of-silence was what drove Paul Haar to help establish Fair Wood at CERES.

He envisioned Fair Wood talking about where our timber was coming from and then be a place that you could go and buy an ethical alternative – just like a regular hardware.

These days Fair Wood has its own warehouse, just like a regular hardware and its managers, Hayden and Pete, have been very resourceful at finding “good wood” alternatives.

From farm-grown Southern Blue Gum cladding to Turpentine decking salvaged from wharf timbers.  From storm-fallen furniture-making timber cut by an urban sawmiller to garden sleepers made from rescued Macrocarpa. They’ve even employed, Huw, Fair Wood’s ethical carpenter for hire to help people build right.

As for four-by-two framing timbers, Paul says, ask your builder or hardware for locally grown Radiata pine.  

You can find CERES Fair Wood at 31-33 Raglan St, Preston, now open Monday to Saturday or email  fairwood@ceres.org.au or phone Hayden on 9389 0195.

Flowerdays now Thursday to Saturday

Just a reminder that we’re selling Anna and Ray from 302 Flower Farm’s – protea, leucadendron and native flower bunches on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays

Anna’s absolutely beautiful bunches are grown on Mt Macedon, they’re chemical free, long lasting and limited in numbers.  Get in early.

Have a great week

Chris