Many commercial-grade wood benches and tables are made using ipé, teak, and exotic hardwoods harvested from rainforests in South America and Southeast Asia. The durability of these woods is unmatched, but issues of deforestation, questionable chain of custody, and embedded energy in transit make them problematic.

Tournesol Siteworks has a better answer - Boulevard™ is an upcycled urban hardwood solution that offers the durability of exotics but without the environmental baggage.

Creating site furnishings from urban wood:

* Reduces waste stream (chipped wood) into landfills

* Captures carbon that would otherwise be released if wood were mulched

Long-term CO2 sequestration of urban hardwood may represent the equivalent of removing 733,00 automobiles from the road each year, according to a study by Dovetail Partners of Minneapolis, MN (July, 2011)

* Urban woods contain low embedded energy – doesn’t need to be shipped far for use

* Has potential for provenance and history of the wood used in specific applications

* Personal or community meaning may be formed using local woods for local site furnishings

 

The benefits of thermally treated wood:

* Standard North American hardwoods, left untreated, can’t match the durability and longevity of South American hardwoods in commercial applications.
• * Precise, high-temperature heating of hard- and softwoods was developed to preserve wood over 20 years ago in Northern Europe. European production of thermally modified wood in 2010 was over 39M board feet.
• * The thermal process changes the structure of the wood, eliminating resins and sugars that lead to rotting, splitting, and failure.
• * Thermal treatment gives the wood a rich, dark color with no stain or treatment.
• * 25 year expected lifespan compares favorably with exotic imported hardwoods.
• * The moisture content of the wood is low - typically 50% lower than untreated wood, and remains low (4-5%) after years of exposure.
• * The surface of the wood is no longer porous, but solid.
• * No toxic chemicals or treatments used.
• * Natural resistance to fungi and biological attack from insects & their larvae. No improvement against termites.
• * Additional information, environmental benefits and life cycle information can be found through the ThermoWood association.

 

Boulevard Urban Upcycled Wood is currently available in white oak (with a dark finish) or ash (with a medium finish). Both woods, when left unsealed, will naturally silver within the course of 6-12 months. This is a surface effect only, and can be removed by sanding. High-build stains and sealers will protect the color and prevent checking.