Certified Sustainable Cypress

Posted on April 1, 2015May 18, 2015 by cypressguy

Certified Sustainable Cypress

Cypress Trees Growing in Swamps by Jack Spencer

Cypress Trees by Jack Spencer

Bald Cypress, because of its growing requirements, is harvested from the land of many small land owners. The cost of being certified currently makes it prohibitive for small operators. We are in contact with SmartWood.org and the Forest Stewardship Council to find/create certified cypress harvesters.

In the meantime, buying and using regional or local cypress keeps jobs and craftsmen in alive in our area.

You can help by not buying cypress mulch, a real threat to cypress.

Green Building with Cypress Wood Siding

Posted on April 1, 2015April 1, 2015 by cypressguy

Buckley Lumber Cypress Siding at Home Show

Cypress siding from Buckley Lumber at Green Home Show

Sustainable and beautiful North Carolina cypress from Buckley Lumber was featured at the Southern Ideal Home Show. The cypress siding clad the Green Building Pavilion which featured green building materials. It also won first place in Exhibitor Category!

NC Builder, Bill Beasley explains, “Green built homes look at the home from a holistic standpoint. While energy conservation is a primary focus, they also include everything from development of the site to efficient house plans to educating the homeowner on proper usage of the home and its systems.”

There are several tools available to assist the builder in achieving green certification. The Green Building Initiative of the National Association of Home Builders have created a Green Building Guidelines document that explains in detail. The builder will work with a third party verifier throughout the building process with field visits and submit the documentation to review at completion. The verifier confirms all claimed points have been met and green certification is awarded.

Building a green home will save the homeowner in utility bills, improve the quality of the indoor air and increase re-sale value in the future.

Sustainable Cypress

Posted on March 19, 2015March 27, 2015 by cypressguy

Physical and Environmental Profile of Cypress

Cypress in an interior

Environmental Profile Bald cypress is reported to be rather widespread, abundant, and secure globally, although it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery (Source – The Nature Conservancy – Rank of relative endangerment based primarily on the number of occurrences of the species globally).
Distribution Bald cypress is reported to be distributed in Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, New York, Oklahoma, Illinois, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Indiana. The tree prefers very wet, swampy soils of riverbanks and floodplain lakes that are sometimes submerged. It is often found in pure stands, but may also grow alongside hardwoods.
Product Sources It is currently unknown whether some material from this species is available from sustainably managed, salvaged, recycled, or other environmentally responsible sources.
Tree Data This large, aquatic, and deciduous tree is reported to mature to a height of about 100 to 120 feet (30 to 37 m), with a trunk diameter of 36 to 60 inches (90 to 150 cm). Bald cypress trees are reported to be well-known ornamentals, but are also commercially valuable.

Cypress Logs Ready for Milling

Reference Sources

Numerical Data Source

USDA. 1987. Wood Handbook – Wood as an Engineering Material,
Forest Service, Agriculture Handbook No. 72,
Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin.

Descriptive Data Source

Panshin, A.J. and C. deZeeuw. 1980. Textbook of Wood Technology, 4th Edition.
McGraw-Hill Series in Forest Resources. McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York.

Kaiser, J. 1993.
Wood of the Month – Cypress: The Hardwood-like Softwood.
Wood and Wood Products, May 1993. Page 36.