Comments on: Kiwi Window Trim…It Really is a Small World

By: Elaine

Elaine — Mon, 20 Aug 2012 22:29:30 +0000

When I worked at Sierra Pacific in Northern Cal., we shipped the best pine to Europe, if one board was not worked up correctly, the entire ship came back. We also shipped train to cargo ship to destination.

From that time on I have noticed the lumber at big box stores are significantly getting worse. In the last ten years, the plywood and select boards look like they should be used for crating. Is this just the buyer from those stores, or the managers that they are willing to accept anything? Is it our fault that we don’t pass up the junk at high cost?

I too try to go locally when possible, just the same with the farmer’s market is how I think.

By: Andrew Wilkerson

Andrew Wilkerson — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 00:49:18 +0000

I’ve noticed a huge change in the quality of the pine I buy from my local supplier here in Australia and when I asked why its now so good with hardly any knots I was told that they are getting it from New Zealand as well. There a pretty innovative country over there and I’ve noticed more and more products made in New Zealand. Even the pre mixed alcoholic drinks at our local bottle shop are mostly from New Zealand. Look out Kentucky!

By: Chris Marshall

Chris Marshall — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 19:10:17 +0000

LNR: Thanks for your reply. I’m happy to say this radiata pine looks so nice I wouldn’t dare paint it. I appreciate the additional information you’ve provided about the lumber industry in New Zealand. I’ll be even more inclined to buy it again for future woodworking and trim carpentry projects. Best to you, and enjoy your woodworking.

By: LNR

LNR — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 18:10:42 +0000

As a Kiwi I am delighted to hear that you have timber that was grown, milled and fully processed in New Zealand. New Zealand exports hundreds of thousands of tones of Pine every year. It is all environmentally sound plantation grown. Most in country transport is by train ten internationally by sea. Hence it does truly have a minimal carbon footprint.
The concern many Kiwis have is that generally this timber is sold in raw log form. New Zealand labour involvement is minimal. This moulding was fully processed in New Zealand and was probably processed using largely renewable energy sources, electricity coming from Hydro or geothermal power stations.
So you do have a green sustainably grown product. We can be quite confident that the carbon footprint of your window moulding was much lower than if you had run the 90 minutes up to your “local” supplier.
As for Kauri, well it takes many hundred years to grow and is not sustainably grown. There you would have a unique material but quite environmentally unsound and inappropriate for a painted window frame.