Salvaged lumber is any wood that can be collected, used and reused as a building material when it would otherwise be wasted. This may include, previously used lumber, forest fire remnants, sunken logs, and felled trees. Salvaged lumber may be milled the same way as virgin timber. The redwood cabinetry at Half Link Bicycle Shop and the trim work and beadboard ceiling in the Sears House were all made from Redwood salvaged and remilled from the Langley Water Tower. Other examples of salvaged timber at Bayview can be seen in the Composting Toilet Building.



SUSTAINABLE FOR THE EARTH

• Reduce/eliminate need for virgin timber
  
• Utilize wood that would otherwise be wasted
  
• Use beautiful old-growth without destroying forests
  
• Reduce/eliminate contributions to landfills
• Remove debris from sensitive areas (clear-cuts/forest fires)

SUSTAINABLE FOR THE WALLET

• Profitability rather than disposal liability
  
• Creation of new jobs (salvage, demolish, re-mill)
  
• Often better quality than new virgin wood
  
• Less waste = less disposal fees
• Reduced energy use = reduced energy expense
  

Facts:
Wood removed from older buildings could provide as much as a quarter of the lumber supply for the housing construction industry for the next 50 years, while putting a hefty dent in the amount of demolition waste that goes into landfills each year.

Where does it come from?
Salvaged lumber comes from a variety of places: remains from clear-cuts and forest fires, sunken logs from rivers and lakes, trees felled in windstorms and left over from construction projects, lumber from construction demolition, and old water tanks.