Raul

Raul’s Blog

Raul D. Hernandez is the founder and CEO of Forever Redwood. An expert on restoration forestry, he writes about the practical dimensions of ecoforestry, based on his hands-on experience restoring ancient forestland in Northern California since 1995. He also answers customer questions about Forever Redwood furniture, the sale of which helps fund the restoration work.

Archive for March, 2009

Forever Redwood?

Friday, March 27th, 2009

Not even a Minnesota winter can hurt a Forever Redwood swing!

Minnesota winter? Not a problem for a Forever Redwood swing!

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We have been shipping our “Forever Redwood” outdoor furniture sets to the toughest climates in the U.S. and Canada for over a decade now. We offer decay warranties of up to 30 years on the entire line regardless of how harsh the outdoor weather is. No other outdoor furniture line has warranties like it.

We are often asked if our sets will really hold up that long. They will. And, with a bit of TLC, they’ll last much longer.

Because of the quality workmanship and materials used, Forever Redwood sets are a bit more upfront than most of our competitors. But, you save money by NEVER having to replace them.  Besides some surface fading, you can expect your Forever set to last for decades without maintenance.  And, if you ever have a problem with a Forever Redwood product (like a tree falling on it…), just contact us and we’ll ship replacement parts to you at minimal cost.

There are 3 reasons we confidently offer the long decay warranties. First, Redwood is extremely decay resistant. Second, Forever Redwood is built the old-fashioned way using thick-timbers that are no longer available in the marketplace. And, lastly, Forever Redwood is fastened with Stainless Steel hardware.

Combining generous amounts of the highest quality lumber with the best hardware insures your furniture will last decades in any outdoor weather. Yes, Chicago winters, Florida’s summers, Arizona’s 110 degree dry heat or the stormy high and dry Colorado Rockies.

To read more about our forestry practices, please go to:
http://www.foreverredwood.com/restoration-forestry.php

To read more about our four grades of wood, please go to:
http://www.foreverredwood.com/wood.html

As always, comments and questions are welcomed.  Thank you for your interest in Forever Redwood.

Redecorate Your Yard and Help Reverse Global Warming

Tuesday, March 17th, 2009

This article is shared courtesy of ARA Content.

How A Forest Products Company is Making a Real Environmental Impact

Little Raulito enjoying a Forever Redwood Kids Rocking Chair. Behind him stands a Vase Planter. Proceeds from the sale of Forever Redwood go toward Redwood forest restoration work.

Little Raulito enjoying a Forever Redwood Kid's Rocking Chair. Behind him stands a Large Vase Planter. Proceeds from the sale of Forever Redwood products go toward our Redwood forest restoration work.

(ARA) - With the growing popularity of green building practices, more companies are incorporating environmental and sustainability policies. These are all positive steps toward reducing the impact of global warming and caring for our earth. But what do you really know about a product you buy that is labeled green? Is it really environmentally friendly, or is it just a marketing scheme? And how much of a difference is it actually making?

“Green and sustainable forestry practices are a step in the right direction. But even the most stringent standards, those certified internationally by the Forest Stewardship Council, are only a modest step away from the large-scale deforestation practices that were prevalent until recently,” says Raul Hernandez, founder of Old-Growth Again, an organization dedicated to restoring logged forestlands back to their ancient form.

Hernandez goes on to explain the problem is sustainable forestry does little in the way of restoring large and ancient trees overtime. Without these trees as a significant portion of working forests, the effects forestlands can have on global cooling are limited. Under sustainable forestry practices, lands are cut at rates of up to 30 percent per decade. At this rate of cut, a forest is “sustained,” but it’s maintained as a young forest in perpetuity with trees rarely exceeding 80 years of age.

OGA is changing this by practicing a much higher “Restoration Forestry” standard. Restoration forestry involves many practices including limiting the rate of cut to a maximum of 10 percent in any one decade. This conservative rate allows for a growth increase of standing lumber at rates of approximately 20 percent per decade, allowing the forest to mature so that a large amount of the forest canopy will once again be dominated by trees over 200 years old (the definition of old-growth).

Why is this important? “Depending on the tree species and geography, forests managed on a 200-year cycle sequester 3 to 4 times more carbon per acre than forests managed on 60 to 80 year cycles,” says Hernandez. “Restoration forestry practiced on a global scale would cause dramatic global cooling to take place while growing the highest quality lumber.”

A Rainbow Over the Redwoods

Rainbow over Forest Redwood forestlands in Annapolis, CA—lands we are restoring through your furniture purchases

How can you help? With the nice weather, more people are spending time outside enjoying their yards. If you are looking to add some new furniture and decor, consider Forever Redwood, OGA’s thick-timber products, which help fund the organization’s mission. Add some new lawn furniture, a gazebo or pergola, a swing or just some planter boxes. The look and design of the products is a throwback to another era when lumber was plentiful and of extremely high quality.

Besides supporting a good cause, redwood products are very long lasting and can be left outdoors for decades in elements such as harsh sun and snow, without maintenance. You can choose from three grades of redwood for Forever Redwood products — young, mature and old-growth. Half of the lumber used is from salvaged material left on the forest floor when the forest was first logged in the 40s and 50s. This wood is carefully inspected, and because of its high quality, much of it is in great shape and can be used, a testament to the longevity of the old-growth lumber. The other half comes from careful harvesting of the forest.

“One of the biggest aspects of global warming is deforestation. If forest lands are managed so they sequester carbon as they did before the high levels of harvesting, a big part of global warming equation would be eliminated,” says Hernandez.

To learn more about Forever Redwood furniture and products, and how old-growth forests are helping counteract global warming, visit www.ForeverRedwood.com.

Courtesy of ARA Content

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