Recovered vs. Reclaimed wood – it’s all good

Also called “sinker” wood, recovered wood doesn’t have to have “sunk.”  For years logs were transported by floating them downriver. Some don’t make it and have remained preserved underwater, covered in sediment, for years. Some of them even absorb minerals from the sediment, giving them truly unique characteristics.

But it is the intangible, green quality that piques my interest and that of the green community in general.

Reclaimed wood has been used once – either as a structural component of a building in most cases – and is now being re-used and milled into flooring, cabinets, etc…

Recovered wood, however, never made to the cutting table.  Some recovered wood, however, has never even been cut down. Rather, it became submerged as a result of water diversion and can be found under man-made lakes. This has an exceptionally green angle to it in that it was simply to be wasted without the intention of a first-use, much less a second.

Comment or email with your thoughts on this, especially if you are a fellow LEED AP as this would have an impact on certain aspects of certification.

All the best

Chris Moline, LEED AP
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