The Solid Wood Flooring Company are proud to be part of the “Gone West” mission of planting long term forest in England. Their commitment is to plant 4,000 new oak trees every year, this means that if The Solid Wood Flooring Company use approximately 1,000 oak trees every year for their Oak Wood Flooring then they are planting 3 new trees for every mature tree cut down.

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

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

With the lowest Forest percentage of land in Europe it is crucial that action is taken now to reforest. The UK has one of the worst forest coverage in Europe with only 11.76% of UK land as forests. Only Ireland and the Netherlands are behind the UK.

Bringing the ‘outdoors in’ with hardwood flooring, has been a desirable concept of living spaces for many years, perhaps even more so with the knowledge of natural materials incorporated with day to day living, having been proven to bring down any mounting tension levels and reduce stress build up, thus giving mental health a boost.

From The Solid Wood Flooring Company’s humble beginnings they have always strived to be responsible in all their material sourcing; which means a green and healthy wood flooring product for their customers.

The Solid Wood Flooring Company work closely with the Forest Stewardship Commission (FSC®) and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC™) to ensure their materials come from certified, sustainable and well managed forests. They will never source material from the rainforest, nor purchase from questionable sources.

When a tree is felled to produce Solid Wood Flooring products, the company ensures that nothing goes to waste. In addition, they will 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’; The Solid Wood Flooring Company primarily produce engineered floorboards. This means they 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. Currently there are 78 species of Oak trees that are considered to be in danger of extinction.

As materials from our natural surroundings is harvested, it is absolutely vital that they are not taken 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 the Solid Wood Flooring Company?

Because it is 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

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 their 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 stop new greenfield sites being crammed with houses without any new planting.