Salvaging the urban forest

Most of us have learned to recycle everything from coffee filters to cell phones, but Urban Tree Salvage in Toronto has taken the concept a step further. With storm damage, maturity, insects and disease taking their toll on our urban canopy, close to 9000 trees have to be removed every year in the GTA. Urban Tree Salvage (UTS) rescues logs from local municipality forestry waste and builds functional and beautiful furniture, flooring and lumber.

Using hardwood lumber processed from salvaged city trees reduces the amount of wood waste reaching landfills and fireplaces. UTS is certified by the Rainforest Alliance’s SmartWood program, which evaluates forest product operations using reclaimed, recycled and/or salvaged wood materials. Only logs doomed for landfills, fireplaces or compost are salvaged.

UTS produces hardwood lumber in random widths and lengths as well as wide slabs and disks - perfect for dining, coffee, end and console tables. Their milling selection includes all hardwoods grown in the Toronto area, including apple, cherry, hard maple, soft maple, red oak, white oak, willow, walnut, elm, poplar and chestnut.

They work with property owners, arborists and larger operations to pick up damaged or diseased trees with a one-of-a-kind “log extractor.” Homeowners can have their tree(s) milled into hardwood lumber and kiln dried for future building projects, custom furniture or hardwood flooring.

Check out UTS’s range of beautiful and unique furniture and accessories on their website - from birch and elm platters to willow cubes and Queen’s Wharf old growth pine tables - or get them to custom build a “green” bed frame or bookshelf.