Timberframing

Timberframing is the craft of creating framed structures from wood members that are joined together using wood-pegged mortise and tenon joints. Natural options for wall material work beautifully with timber framed structures, and can be made of adobe, cob, or wattle and daub, amongst other options.  Timberframing uses fewer, larger wooden members than conventional stick framed structures because stick frame construction uses many redundant wall members, extra wall members to ease hanging sheetrock, etc.  Timberframed structures are incredibly strong, are built to last—generally lasting much longer than stick frame structures, further reducing wood consumption—and can be staggeringly beautiful.

Although wood is clearly a renewable resource, because of the incredible deforestation humans have already caused to the earth’s forests, it is important to consider the regeneration of our forests as part of the planning process for any building structure that uses wood.  Small logs for timberframing can be used in the round, which is structurally stronger than standard size lumber and requires less processing.[1]   Using smaller logs in the round rather than cutting down more of the last of our most pristine, tallest, or oldest trees left on earth, helps to clear out small-diameter wood in both new and older growth forests, thus creating healthier forests and reducing the incidence of unnecessary and unbeneficial fires.   Hand clearing small-diameter wood can dramatically help to increase the time it takes forests to naturally regenerate following the massive deforestations we have caused. Sustainable hand clearing involves assessment of the forest to observe and assess the land and to identify the variety of trees and plants present. Finally, trees or brush that have been identified as optimal candidates for small-diameter wood is hand cleared, leaving the best wood behind to better access light and nutrients, thus decreasing the time it takes forests to recover to a more beautiful, stronger, abundant state.