Appalachian Hardwoods
When we moved to the mountains of Appalachia we arrived in the heart of a seemingly endless hardwood forest. Every mountain is covered with these beautiful trees—oaks, walnut, wild cherry, hickory, locust, gumwood, ash and so many others.
One of the interesting aspects of this area is that it was never deforested as were some other parts of the country.
The hills are tall and steep and full of rocks. The land is not really much good for anything but growing trees. And, harvesting them is real work. Some slopes have still never been cut. Even horse teams cannot work there. And—the trees that are cut are almost always replaced in very short order.
Well, I do not worship trees, but this whole business of planting, growing, cutting, sawing, and making really is a generational process.
The best lumber comes from large diameter trees, say sixteen inches or greater. It takes a long time to grow a tree like that. This is a crop a man plants so that his grandchildren can have an inheritance – something with which to build their mountain home furniture.
The special beauty of Appalachian hardwoods is widely known. The special beauty of the process is more locally understood as it passes from a man to his sons.
In these mountains the cycle that has gone on for centuries continues today. So it seemed fitting to name my furniture lines after local mountains.
