We took a trip down to the Zena Forest Products sawmill today to pick up the maple flooring for the tiny house.
Owned by 2nd generation sustainable forester Ben Deumling and family, Zena manages a 1300 acres of mixed Douglas Fir, White Oak, Western Ash, and Bigleaf Maple which they sustainably harvest for flooring, lumber, and furniture.
I’ve been buying bending oak from Ben for over 10 year to use in my boatbuilding business. It’s always a pleasure to drive through this beautiful habitat to arrive at a one of the few saw mills I’ve seen that is in the middle of a forest instead of a clear cut.
Aside from the lumber it’s always just cool to wander around and explore the ever growing collection of massive old woodworking machines that Ben restores and puts back into operation.
Sustainable lumber can cost a little more than non sustainable wood (although sometimes not) but visiting a working forest that keeps getting healthier as it is managed, the benefits are obvious. Also, the nice thing about building a tiny house is that the tiny square footage means you don’t have to choose between budget and quality! We can’t wait to see it installed
To learn more about Zena check them out at zenaforest.com.
– Brian
