Birch (Betula pendula)
Silver Birch (betula pendula) is a dominative deciduous tree species in Finland.
Trunkstyle Ltd sources birch only from Finland where we have some long standing contacts with family run sawmills.
Colour: Cream white to biscuit.
Weight: 600 - 700 kg/m³ Specific Gravity: 0.66
Uses:
A very versatile timber - extensively used in the pulp, paper, plywood and furniture industries, where uses include framing and legs, upholstery framing, and interior fitments. Other suitable uses are for dowels, broomheads, tool handles, toys, small parts, medical equipment such as spatulas and tongue depressors etc. It is unsuitable for exterior joinery, but is used for interior flooring. Bung Birch is also available for production of barrel bungs.
Growing cycle and forestry management:
Finland has a very northern location, and has been described as really one vast forest, with nearly 80 per cent of the total land area being covered by forest. That does not count the area covered by water.
The Finns have an almost unique dependency on forest resources for their source of income, development and success. Wood is Finland’s most important raw material, and creates a sustainable foundation for its entire economy. Therefore, naturally, great emphasis is placed on management of their forests on the basis of sustainability.
Finnish forests belong mainly to private individuals, with half a million of them owning two-thirds of the total forest area.
Although nearly 300 million tree seedlings are planted in the forests of Finland each year - natural regeneration accounts for almost all new growth.
Specification:
Supplied Square-Edged, in thicknesses: 25mm, 32mm, 38mm, 50mm, Although it can also be supplied waney-edged, this is not common for birch supplied to the UK.
The birch is a small tree in diameter, therefore normally available widths are 100mm, 125mm and 175mm. The 175mm is only available in smaller quantities usually only in a mixed parcel of other widths.
Qualities: Most popular is Usual Export Quality, known as “UEQ” -, (or furniture stuff-over grade). We can also obtain quotes for you in:-
a. “PRIMA” - (3 sides clear),
b. “EXTRA-PRIMA” - (4 sides clear).
However, this material is only 5-10% of the available yield from the birch log and so can be difficult to obtain in large quantities.
c. Bung birch is produced from the 1st useful cut from the log. Usually 19/20mm
Specification: (In imperial for the luddites amongst us.)
¾”x 2 ½”.
¾”x 3 ½”.
Lengths 6ft and longer, allowing 20% down to 3ft.
Drying of Birch:
Often, Finnish suppliers talk about material (usually UEQ) being KD. Sometimes they mean that it has been kilned to 20% moisture content. However - lower moisture contents are obtainable by special arrangement. Nowadays many factories need lower moisture contents so it is always important to specify the acceptance range when giving an enquiry.
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