Dunn Lumber & Hampton Lumber: The Lumber Supply Chain
"Today the United States is growing more timber than ever before in its history."
At Dunn Lumber, we care about providing quality materials and protecting our environment. From the forest to your home, Dunn Lumber is committed to leaving the environment better than it was when we found it. Over the years the lumber industry has learned a lot about methods for harvesting trees, so they provide resources for people—but also ensure that this natural resource is not depleted.
"At Dunn Lumber, we care about providing quality materials and protecting our environment."
To show you where our lumber comes from, we took a trip down to Portland to chat with David Hampton, of Hampton Affiliates. Dunn Lumber partners with Hampton Affiliates, a family-owned Oregon business, as part of our efforts to purchase wood products only from those companies who demonstrate a commitment to managing natural resources in such a way as to ensure conservation of biodiversity, maintain soil and water quality and quantity, regulate harvest levels to sustain long-term productivity, and integrate forestry and recreational land use.
Bud Hampton founded Hampton Affiliates in 1942, when he bought a small sawmill in Willamina, OR, to furnish lumber for his Tacoma, WA retail yard. Hampton Affiliates has since developed into a booming business. Today the affiliated companies continue to be owned by the Hampton family, who support a strong growth strategy. Hampton's company culture calls for doing business in a safe and sustainable manner, so capital improvement projects include safety, energy efficiency, and environmental components.
We visited the original tree farm with David Hampton, a third-generation employee. (David has been growing trees for over 30 years.) In that time, a lot has changed in the lumber industry, but their family has always been committed to David's father's belief to "leave the area better than how we found it."
The modern lumber industry has a lot of legal parameters to work within, and Hampton Affiliates is very happy to do that (and more). They're certified by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, which means Hampton Affiliates is held to a very high standard.
Prior to the 1972 Forest Practices Act clear-cutting was done in a way that caused a lot of devastation and damage to the ecosystem. The world needed wood, people needed jobs, and so they used the resource. They didn't know what they were doing. That's all changed.
"The Forest Practices Act requires [Hampton Affiliates] to plant 200 trees per acre; Hampton Affiliates plants at least 500 trees per acre."
Today, when Hampton Affiliates clear-cuts and logs area, they do several additional things. The Forest Practices Act requires them to plant 200 trees per acre; Hampton Affiliates plants at least 500 trees per acre. They want to do the right thing and manage the property correctly. As the trees grow, a marvelous carpet of wild iris and oxeye daisy begin to cover the ground. These create foraging areas for animals like deer and elk that live there. When an area is clear-cut, it's then replanted to grow back as a beautiful forest.
Today the United States is growing more timber than ever before in its history. This is a result of modern forestry practices.
Hampton Affiliates wants their tree farm to actually grow trees. There's no point in logging areas and leaving them—besides that, it's illegal. They want to do the right thing. They want to manage the property correctly. Take care of the dreams, take care of the area. It just makes sense. It's the right thing to do.
"Take care of the dreams, take care of the area. It just makes sense. It's the right thing to do."
People think we're running out of trees, but there are actually more trees in America today than there were in the 1900s. We're currently planting trees faster than we're cutting them. That's why Dunn Lumber is proud to source our lumber from this environmentally responsible, family-owned business.
