THE WORKSHOP

Before radiata pine trees starting spreading everywhere there was thousands of acres of native forests. Up until comparatively recently, native forest was being felled with little thought for the future. Now there is a painful awareness of what has been lost, along with a growing commitment amongst farmers, foresters and others to plant more native trees. Alongside a growing appreciation of our native forests there is a small group of foresters focusing on growing durable timbers that don’t require any chemical treatment to last well into our future.

There is a line of thought that if the effort put into selecting radiate cultivars, had been directed into selecting superior native cultivars, we would be a much richer country. Richer in the diversity of our flora and fauna – and richer in our material culture. Occasionally we come across small caches of native timbers that have been stacked away in the workshops of furniture makers and others that have retired from the woodworking trades. When come upon these timbers we use them to make special items like serving platters and small items of furniture.