Appalachian Species & Grades

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Appalachian Species & Grades

The Appalachian regions supply a wide range of species, all with one thing in common: superior quality. NWH is located in the Appalachian growing region in Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and West Virginia. We have 6 sawmills, 5 concentration yards, and a service center located throughout the region to take full advantage of the beautiful hardwoods in the region. This Appalachian region has warm summers to assist growth but the cooler spring and fall seasons and cold winters allow this growth to be gradual. Slow maturity means tight growth rings, strong fibers, and consistent grains that lead to strength, durability, and beauty.

Ash

With an open grain and a coarse texture, Ash is quite workable and has good finishing properties. Ash is a favorite with furniture and architectural millwork manufacturers.

Cherry

A natural beauty — Cherry is sought after by builders of the finest cabinetry and furniture in the world.

Hard Maple

Hard Maple is hard, heavy and admired for its bright white color and fine grain. Its beauty and strength makes it a favorite for furniture, flooring and cabinetry.

Red Oak

Red Oak is a timeless choice widely used in furniture, flooring, cabinetry, joinery and architectural millwork. We sort by color to help reduce waste and produce cabinets and furniture.

Soft Maple

Soft Maple is less dense than Hard Maple, lower priced and is used as a substitute. It has similar grain and figure with good machining properties and outstanding color and fine texture.

White Oak

A hard, versatile lumber, White Oak is a favorite in furniture, flooring, doors, cabinetry and millwork. White Oak has more figure than Red Oak, with a distinctive open grain and coarse texture.

Basswood

A premier carving and turning hardwood, our basswood is a preferred species among high-end shutter manufacturers.

Beech

Beech wood is used to make flooring, furniture, veneer plywood, and railroad ties.

Birch

Birch is a white sapwood that lends itself especially well to beautiful blonde furniture and interior woodwork.

Walnut

A traditional American hardwood, Walnut is steamed to enhance the chocolate brown heartwood and darken the sapwood. Walnut is prized for high-end furniture, architectural interiors, cabinetry, doors, flooring and paneling.

Poplar

Poplar wood is used for construction grade lumber and plywood. It has straight grain, little shrinkage, and excellent gluing qualities. It is currently used for cabinets, veneer and furniture.

Hickory

One of the strongest, hardest and most-dense hardwoods, Hickory is used for applications that require sheer strength and high shock resistance.

Photos courtesy of The Wood Database.

Appalachian Growing Region

Some of the finest hardwood lumber comes from the Appalachian region, where the climate is frigid and the growing season is short. These conditions produce tight-grained hardwoods with very consistent color.

Appalachian
Growing Region

CARING FOR OUR PLANET

Legal, Sustainable, Abundant Resource

North American Hardwoods are among the most plentiful and well-managed natural resources in the world. Hardwood forests naturally regenerate themselves and do not require planting. The preferred method of harvesting is single-tree selection. This provides a sustainable supply and ensures the overall health of the forest – including water quality, wildlife habitat, and biodiversity. As a result, the volume of hardwoods has more than doubled since 1950.

FSC Chain-of-Custody Standard

NWH is certified to the Forest Stewardship Council® Chain of Custody and Controlled Wood Standards. We can offer a variety of products and species with FSC® claims. Ask us today about availability and refer to the www.fsc.org for more details

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PEFC Chain-of-Custody Standard

PEFC is the world’s largest forest certification standard promoting sustainable forest management through independent third-party certification. PEFC works throughout the entire forest supply chain to ensure good forest practices and wood sourcing. 

NWH PEFC Chain-of-Custody (CoC) certified Alder, PC Maple and PC Birch are sourced from forests certified to the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), the American Tree Farm System (ATFS), the Canadian Standards Association (CSA), and PEFC. Each national forest certification system undergoes rigorous, third party assessment against PEFC’s unique Sustainability Benchmarks to ensure consistency with worldwide standards.

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IWPA Supporting Member

The IWPA and Northwest Hardwoods are committed to supporting the legal and sustainable harvesting of wood products from around the world. The IWPA supports the sustainable management of global forests for both current and future generations and the benefits to local communities that depend on the forest resource while generating economic growth and quality jobs for those who manufacture, sell, and use these remarkable products.

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