We are proud to be part of the “Gone West” mission of planting long term forest in England. Please be assured our prices will not increase because of this.

Our commitment is to plant 4,000 (four thousand)new Oak trees every year, and if we use approximately 1,000 Oak trees every year for our Oak Wood Flooring it means we are planting 3 new trees for every mature tree we cut down.   

Once an Oak tree reaches full maturity it takes less carbon from the atmosphere so we need to plant new forests and regenerate our old ones.

Many lessons have been taught to us throughout the trying year of 2020, and The Solid Wood Flooring Team are even more dedicated than before, to continue our commitment of sustaining our planet home, whilst creating stunning interior spaces for our likeminded clients.

With the lowest Forest percentage of land in Europe it is crucial that we act now to reforest. The UK has one of the worst forest coverage in Europe with only11.76% of our land as forests. Only Ireland and the Netherlands are behind us.

Bringing the ‘outdoors in’ with hardwood flooring, has been a desirable concept for our living spaces for many years, perhaps even more so with the knowledge of natural materials incorporated with our day to day living, having been proven to bring down our mounting tension levels and reduce stress build up, thus giving our mental health a boost. It is of such high importance, that when taking care of our own mental and physical wellbeing in our home surroundings, that we are not compromising the source of where these materials actually come from! What a reassuring thought then, that The Solid Wood Flooring Company are proud to be joining GoneWest.com, ensuring we take the right steps to reduce the carbon footprint of the construction industry.

Since our humble beginnings we’ve always strived to be responsible in all our material sourcing; which means a green and healthy wood flooring product for you.

We work closely with the Forest Stewardship Commission (FSC®) and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC™) to ensure our material comes from certified, sustainable and well managed forests.  We’ll never source material from the rainforest, nor purchase from questionable sources. 

When a tree is felled to produce our flooring products, we ensure nothing goes to waste.  In addition, we’ll only harvest older trees that consume less carbon and produce less oxygen than younger trees; forestry experts will select the tree and ensure no habitats are damaged or destroyed.  To utilise every part of the tree and to make it ‘go as far as possible’; we primarily produce engineered floorboards.  This means we consume around one fifth of the amount of material compared to producing solid boards.  Engineered boards have additional benefits some of which are being more stable, suitable for use with under floor heating systems and they can be wider and longer than solid boards.

There are 600 species of Oak trees in the world with most in the Americas.

An Oak tree will produce about 10 million acorns during its lifetime with only 1 in 10,000 of these producing a tree. Our aim is to make sure we take more acorns and turn them into Oak trees. Currently there are 78 species of Oak trees that are considered to be in danger of extinction.

As we take materials from our natural surroundings, it is absolutely vital that we do not take them for granted! With this in mind, The Solid Wood Flooring Company did not need to think twice about a partnership with GoneWest.com, a for-purpose tree planting company, committed to planting a new trees for our long term future.   

“Gone West takes it’s partnerships seriously, working with brands that share a true passion for the planet and its people. Our inspiration comes from brands like THE SOLID WOOD FLOORING COMPANY, who see their responsibility for the environment but also a possibility to make change in their community. We are proud to be their choice in battling the environmental and social crisis of our times.”

– Gone West

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT TO US?

Because we’re replanting the future. Trees help clean the air we breathe, filter the water we drink, and provide habitat to over 80% of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity. It’s about giving back to nature, working with the community and taking care of future generations.

“Giving back for us is not only planting trees, it is thinking about how we run our businesses, how we source our products and materials, how we can create jobs and take care of the vulnerable members of our society.” – Gone West

The story is just the beginning, never miss a step by following us on our new journey.

The information below is from Wikipedia which shows how bad the UK is in world as a percentage of land that has forests.

CHINA AN EXEMPLAR EXAMPLE OF REFORESTATION

In 2015, forest cover reached 22.2% of China’s vast territory, up from 16.74% of the country in 1990. This means that forests were rehabilitated over 5.5% of China’s enormous landmass – 511,807 square kilometres. In 2018, China set a target to achieve forest cover over 30% of its land by 2050.

The Directors and team at The Solid Wood Flooring company welcome any feedback on our mission to lobby the Government on passing a law that will make every developer plant at least one new tree for every bedroom they develop. This will stoop new greenfield sites being crammed with houses without any new planting.