White Oak is an important material at Hudson Wood. It is one of the central focal points and design elements at every home. It covers the floors, some of the ceilings, cabinets and even some walls. This white oak is special. Starting from where the tree is grown, to how the log is cut, to the uniqueness and story of each board that makes this wood such an exceptional product.

All the trees are sourced local to the sawmill at Allegheny Mountain Hardwood on the Allegheny Plateau. You may remember we covered the Hickman Family who founded and has been running the company for several generations. This area in western PA is known throughout the world for its high quality timber. Cold winters create slower growing seasons which lead to tighter growth rings. There are not many sub species of white oak in this area, like in the south, which creates a more uniform color of wood.

The trees are also harvested from property that is managed under the FSC guidelines. This means there is a focus on regeneration which is important to Allegheny Mountain as a family business as well as the wildlife, local community and to the larger ecosystem at hand. Allegheny aims to ensure that there will be more trees tomorrow than there are today through their timber management program.

Once they get the logs to the sawmill they cut them in a specialized way called quarter sawing. The log is cut into quarters and the boards are cut from the center of the tree out. The result is a mix of Rift & Quarter Sawn lumber. This creates the straight grain look that you will notice on the boards. This takes a bit more technique to cut and takes longer to dry the lumber, but the result is a more structurally stable and better looking board.

The final option that Hudson Woods features is the character grade. This utilizes more of the tree creating less waste and more green. Each board is unique and has a story to tell. The growth rings, the knots, the character; everything is unique and beautifully culminates into the final product.