the beautiful rimu tree
rimu grows throughout new zealand, although the largest concentration of trees is now found on the west coast of the south island and the biggest trees tend to be found near taupo. rimu is a slow-growing tree, eventually attaining a height of up to 50 m. its lifespan is approximately 800 to 900 years. the straight trunk of the rimu is generally 1.5m in diameter, but may be larger in old or very tall specimens. historically, rimu and other native trees such as kauri and totara were the main sources of wood for new zealand, including furniture and house construction. many of new zealand's original stands of rimu have been destroyed, and recent government policies forbid the felling of rimu in public forests, though allowing limited logging on private land.
the versatile pine tree
pinus radiata has now replaced rimu in most industries, although rimu remains popular for the production of high quality wooden furniture. there is also limited recovery of stump and root wood, from trees felled many years before, for use in making bowls and other wood turned objects. rimu is chosen to create furniture because of its beautiful and rich grain. no two trees are the same meaning each piece of furniture you get is a completely unique piece of new zealand history.
the importance of choosing a sustainable wood and what turnwood are doing.
all turnwood bedroom furniture is created in rimu or pine from sustainable forests in new zealand.
turnwood are committed to minimalising the environmental footprint and therefore only use timber harvested from sustainably managed forests in new zealand.
where appropriate, helicopters are used to harvest rimu and with time, we hope to see the rimu supply return to a sustainable level. our timber is harvested from forests, managed under strictly controlled maf approved sustainable management plans.]
these restrictions have been put in place to protect and prolong the supply. we choose rimu because of its beautiful and rich grain which have made it one of the world's most desirable furniture making timbers. the rimu tree is one of the largest native trees found throughout new zealand, standing up to 60 metres tall. no two trees are the same, which means you get a completely unique piece of new zealand history in every piece of turnwood bedroom furniture.
"rimu has such a beautiful rich grain, its important to make sure the timber continues to flourish, so we source our timber from sustainable forests."
steve allan
turnwood bedroom furniture
