Last week, I revealed some of the plans I've been kicking around for the first "PrairieMod-ification" project in the little red house. One of the costs that early on had to be considered was the amount of painted wood trim that was going to have to be replaced in the home. So, how to do this in a way that doesn't totally throw the "sustainable" baby out with the bathwater?
One of the things that was very important to me in making the decision to replace the heavily painted mahogany trim in the little red house was to save all the original wood to re-purpose it and to also make sure I replaced it with wood trim that was sustainably harvested.
Luckily, I'll be able to store all the sadly over-painted mahogany trim I take down in one of the sheds located on the property. Storing it in an organized way with plenty of airflow around it will allow me to come back to the exotic wood later, figure out a plan to re-purpose it and utilize it piece by piece. Some of the ideas include mahogany picture frames, furniture stock or possible lamp pieces.
So, once the the old trim is down and safely stored away for later use, where to get sustainable harvested wood? Luckily, I know just the place to go.
In Mount Carroll, IL (about 2 1/2 hours west of Chicago) there is a very special place called Johnson Creek Hardwoods. Proprietors Michael and Patricia Johnson have managed Johnson Creek Hardwoods as a small hardwood lumber business created to market timber products from their tree farm. They have been managing their timber on a sustainable basis for over 30 years, and in 2003 were recognized as Illinois Outstanding Tree Farm by the American Tree Farm System.
I had the privilege to visit the Johnson's Tree Farm and mill a year ago and picked-up some absolutely fantastic white quartersawn oak that I made into a Stickley-inspired hall bench for my parents. Once I saw the ecologically sensitive way the Johnson's manage their timber, I knew I would find ways to incorporate their beautiful wood into my future projects. Well, I've finally have a project worthy of that wood! So, the next step is to start taking some measurements and figuring out how much board feet I'll need to satisfy my trim needs for this project.
Check out the link to Johnson Creek Hardwoods and plan a visit to get some of the best lumber in the Midwest for your next woodworking project.
Also, check out this article on Michael Johnson's other passion, photography. Not only does Mr. Johnson have a passion for sustainably managing the resources of the natural world, but he also has a passion for photographing it in a world-class way. Check out this article and Michael's photography website. See you next week!
The Johnsons are an inspiring couple. I have a more modest 2 acre property - my back yard is a small oak/walnut/cherry woodland, actually the edge of a much larger woodland behind, also valuable hardwoods.
We are also have the same kind of hilly moraine and glacial till type topography.
Unfortuanately, that wooded property behind us is owned by a large developer who plans to basically clear cut it and put up 4000 square foot vinly sided houses on quarter to half acre lots, and thereby also turn a wetland (I think a fen) and natural spring below into a runoff zone.
Most of that wood will probably be ground up or cut up for firewood.
And now instead of being a small fringe on the edge of a forest, our meager one acre yard will be THE forest.
Here in McHenry County, we are losing farmland, forest (oak savannah)and wildlife at an alarming rate. The Johnsons show us that there can be a profit in maintaining the land - though not as enormous a profit as is made by developers by destroying it.
Long stroy short, we need to help small landowners and farmers in any way that we can to make their businesses viable. Besides buying sustainably harvested hardwood from people like the Johnsons, Here's another way.
If one way that you celebrate the holiday season is to buy a Christmas tree, please don't buy one of those plastic ones that will end up in a landfill. They're ugly too!
And those real trees you see being sold on the corner lot - most of them were cut weeks or months ago, shipped from out of state, and are dried out - and many are painted with an artificial green color.
You can cut your own tree at many family owned farms and nurseries in McHenry County. By supporting local family farmers and the "Agra-tourism" industry in this county, you help small family farmers so they can stay in business, and are not encouraged or forced to sell their land to developers.
Cutting your own tree is "green" - it is good for the environment, and helps preserve open spaces and wildlife here in Northern Illinois.
McHenry county is just 20 or 30 minutes from northern and northwest Chicago suburbs, and only a little more than an hour from Chicago and the western suburbs.
Here are a just a few places around the county where you can cut your own trees - there are many more:
http://www.ilchristmastrees.com/pages/rsltGrowers.asp?County=McHenry
http://www.pioneertreefarm.com/
http://www.kuipersfamilyfarm.com/
Marty Hackl
Posted by: Marty Hackl | Dec 04, 2007 at 10:40 AM