There is no substitute for sustainability
Wightman’s commitment to the environment runs through every phase of the company’s operations. From the methods used to source lumber to the innovative use of technology to conserve energy, Wightman Specialty Woods is as devoted to environmental responsibility as the company is dedicated to quality.
Know the Source
The path that some lumber takes from forest to consumer can be thousands of miles long. Some mills import wood from across the globe, or outsource kiln drying and other processes that increase the length of the supply chain and the size of the end product’s carbon footprint.
Most of the raw materials that Wightman uses come from within a 60-mile radius of their mill in Portlandville, New York. In addition to harvesting trees from forest land the company owns and manages, Wightman also buys standing timber from individual land owners and logs from a select group of professionally trained loggers who display a keen awareness of responsible forestry.
Operate Responsibly
Wightman’s day-to-day operations adhere to strict principles of conservation and preservation of resources.
Use of thin kerf saws allows for more lumber and less sawdust waste to be generated from each log, and thin kerf saws use less electrical power than many other saws.
Advanced lasers and computerized setworks minimize yield losses during the sawing process.
Chips of waste wood are sold to regional companies as raw materials for fiberboard, wood pellets and other products.
Wightman reuses or repurposes materials that would have been waste, selling bark to landscapers, using 75 percent of sawdust generated to power boilers that heat the drying kilns and the other 25 percent goes to local farmers for animal bedding.
