Future Urban Salvage

My parents still live in the house I grew up in. The trees in their neighborhood are American red gum. Buckled sidewalks show the maturity of the trees as does their four story heights. They give a stunning glimpse of October in Vermont, when it's late November in SoCal.

On a recent walk around the neighborhood, trying to placate 3-month old miss fussy pants, I noticed a huge stump, at least four feet in diameter. I'm sure the extraction was for a good reason, but I couldn't help but wonder where the carcass went, a landfill? Firewood? Was it salvaged by someone who could give it a second life? The wood from this tree happens to be great for woodworking.
 
I get several calls a month from people wondering if we would be interested in tree that is down or coming down. And quick, come get it now. Sometimes it's a tree they've loved for a long time. They remember climbing it or enjoying the shade. Or they just recognize a giant tree in a landfill makes no sense.
 
We want to salvage them all, but besides the fact we are not a tree service, that needs a license and often a crane, to take a tree down legally, even if it's already down and the wood is appropriate, we still have to be picky. Besides milling the tree, there's years of drying and storage before it's usable. Sort of like calling my favorite barbeque joint and saying I have cows for them. Of course, we have a ton of salvaged lumber in our shop. We've made fantastic projects with it and we'll keep doing it.
 
A recent conference in San Francisco and a growing national network of people and businesses dedicated to developing the urban lumber industry speaks to the growing popularity and necessity. Salvaged and reclaimed lumber is a interior design trend. We like that. Reclaiming urban wood fits "Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.", but to permanently close the loop, a trend is not enough. We need to reset from cradle to cradle.
 
Individuals are not the only ones who want to save urban lumber. Cities are looking for solutions to dumpsters full of "problems" to make room in their landfills.
 
Here's an idea. Start by planting more trees that are not only native or climate appropriate, but work for that second incarnation. In Los Angeles, various oaks, cedars, Redwood, Black Walnut, Pacific Madrone and California Bay, are native and coveted for beautiful grain, durability and workability. Cities mandate using urban lumber and become a customer. LEED certification rewards using local materials already. Tree removal services bypass the dump to provide raw materials for local government (and private sector) building and interior design projects.

Improve air quality. Divert landfill and grow the local economy. People, environment, profit. Triple bottom line.
 
Los Angeles and other cites are planting 1,000,000 trees. In 100 years, those trees could make 1000's of tables, if they are the right trees.
 
Thank you to ecolandscape and the reclaimer for your help in my research.