Saving the family tree, literally

 

The idea came like a thunderbolt.

It came to Matthew Basan, a third-generation furniture maker from Toronto, after a severe thunderstorm brought down several of his community's centuries-old oak trees.

Determined not to let the downed trees "meet a fruitless end as firewood," Matthew came up with a better plan, taking a tree with a past and giving it a future, as furniture. He calls the work "the final fruit of the family tree."

His father had planted the seeds for the project when he made a bureau for Matthew as a gift. If the furniture had come from a tree with sentimental value, Matthew reasons, it would have been perfect.

Although Matthew had already decided on a career in furniture design and construction and was planning to open his own shop, his family tree plan changed everything.

Jay Brown, Matthew's partner in their new Sound Design shop at 400 Queen Street East in Toronto, said that Matthew  "realized this was an extraordinary opportunity, exponentially more meaningful than his previous plan, and life altering for himself, as he knew how much more gratifying his life’s work would now become."

Here's what they do, straight from their blog: "We take the one living record of your family's shared life, the family tree, and reveal the beauty beneath as we transform it into a number of beautiful, handcrafted pieces, together forming your family's collection - homegrown, thoughtfully processed, handmade furniture."

So, here they are, two young guys with a dream for the future with reverence for the past, with a new shop in the heart of Corktown, the oldest (and currently being revitalized) district in "The City of Trees."

They promise to post their thoughts on inadequate tree removal statutes, the planting and harvesting of trees, identifying trees by GPS and other environmentally and socially responsible tree-related issues

It's entrepreneurs like Matt and Jay that help connect generations in a positive way.

Flickr photo of fallen oak courtesy of there's a b.

Comments

[sean gorham]

Removing a tree from its growing location because you would like to use it for furniture is not much different than removing a tree to put a pool in, or patio, etc... Tree removal by-laws are set in place for many reasons, this is one of them. If your tree is a safty hazard then it should be removed, not because you want a new table. There are many trees in citys that are being removed becuase of hazard situations, these should be used.

Trees can be in decline for many years, upwards of 10years, and trees also add value to your property, even if in decline to a point.

carefull thought has to be put into taking a tree down that really doesn't have to come down for a few years. If its a safty problem, then thats another story.

[Larry Lehmer]

Thanks, Sean, for your thoughtful comments. We should all be in favor of preserving our healthy trees and finding environmentally sound uses for those that are not.