Back to the Future in Wood

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Imagine for a moment a drowned forest, deep in the cold tannin-dark waters of a Tasmanian highland lake.  Hundreds of silent trees, still firmly rooted into the floor of the lake have been left where they are for decades.  When the water rose behind the new dams and turbines of the Hydro Electric Scheme, these trees, many of them hundreds of years old, were laid to rest in a watery gloom from which they would never emerge.  Until now.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”1366″ img_size=”900×900″ alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]A Tasmanian forest management company called SFM has launched operations at Pieman Lake, using modern techniques and equipment to reclaim drowned timber from as deep as 28 metres below the surface.  The low oxygen, dark and cold conditions have seasoned this timber in a remarkable way.  Reaching a moisture content suitable for boat building and fine furniture making in a matter of months, these rare timbers include Huon pine, celery top pine and black sassafras – highly valuable treasures for builders of traditional boats.  We have yet to hear reviews from Tasmanian shipwrights using the resource, but if the company has the science right, this is the tip of a very large iceberg.  Operations, under strict environmental controls, are already underway at Pieman Lake, but the company has explored Lake Gordon and Lake Burberry for potential harvesting there.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”1369″ img_size=”thumbnail600x400″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”1368″ img_size=”600×400″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The timber, which will be marketed under the name Hydrowood, could extend the viability of the Tasmanian boat building industry, already threatened by a dwindling access to special species timber.  The company says that it is ready to release its first parcel of boat grade celery top pine in the next few weeks.  We look forward to hearing more about this as our shipwrights get the wood onto the bench and take the plane and handsaw  to a future resource reclaimed from the past.  More details can be found on the company website: www.sfmes.com.au[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]