[Sound of chainsaw cutting wood]
[Applause]
- Well, there's really
nothing quite like this,
that I've heard of
that is
just a facility
specifically dedicated
to reclaiming lumber.
[Saw machine starting up]
This is old growth
Douglas fir.
So it's
very important
to reclaim them
because it is
it is a finite resource.
And we do not have more
old growth forests
to harvest
this material from,
which is why
we harvest it
from our buildings now.
[Wood plank falling]
It's very cheap
and easy
to go in
with an excavator
and just crunch up
a building.
[Sound of nails being pulled]
It takes a lot
more energy
and time and money
bringing it to a place,
removing the
all the metal from it,
and then turning it
into a product
that people actually
want in their homes.
And so that's what
this facility is
all about.
- We received,
about four truckloads
of these huge
beams, old
growth Doug fir,
that came out of the
Commuter Building
that was on Alaskan Way.
It was demolished,
back in October.
- It has been
held in one position
in a dry
interior environment
for 100 years.
So it is as stable
as it's going to get.
It's not going to bend.
It's not going to twist.
It's not going to
crack on you.
- You know, it's
it's in pretty
rough shape
on the outside,
but you cut it
open smells
incredibly fresh
- I mean, the idea
that you would
even consider
throwing this wood away
seems
almost criminal, right?
We can repurpose
that wood
and reuse it
in building
new buildings. Right?
And so it gets
a second life.
- I love using salvage,
it will look as good,
if not better
than anything.
I would have
gotten the store. So...
to me, it's a win.
- Every time
you use reclaimed
lumber, it's
one new board
that doesn't
have to be made
from virgin timber.
So it's incredibly
green, incredibly
carbon positive
to not only keep it
out of the landfill
where it would be
releasing carbon,
but put it back
into a building.
That's the
really important part,
is to reuse it as well.