Old vs. new growth trees and the wood products they make
Old-growth lumber, salvaged from century‑old houses or sunken logs, is prized for its tight grain, durability, rot resistance and aesthetics, making it ideal for long‑lasting elements like windows, musical instruments and fine furniture. Many commenters argue it should be carefully preserved and reused rather than discarded, both because it cannot be replenished on human timescales and because modern fast‑grown softwood often warps, rots faster and is less fire‑resilient. Others counter that contemporary engineered products (LVL, glulam, fiberglass and high‑performance glazing), better building codes and sustainable forestry practices largely offset the loss of old growth for most structural uses, shifting the real challenge to long‑term forest management, carbon storage and preventing unsustainable or illegal logging.
Properties of old vs. new growth wood
- Old growth often has tighter rings, higher density, more heartwood, greater rot resistance, and can be extremely hard to work (anecdotally closer to exotic hardwoods than modern SPF studs).
- Explanations differ: some say tight rings come mainly from slow growth under canopy competition; others emphasize sheer tree size in true old growth; others stress plantation spacing and fertilization as drivers of fast, wide-ring growth.
- Some argue old growth is clearly structurally superior; others say for basic framing it’s “only” denser and modern grades compensate.
Applications and performance
- Musical instruments: many posters claim old/sunken wood sounds and looks better; others call “tonewood” for electrics mostly a myth, with pickups and technique dominating.
- Fire behavior: dense old-growth timbers char on the outside and can retain strength longer; mass timber and glulam seen as modern parallels.
- Fire ladders: old-growth wood ladders in SF are said to be more resilient and longer-lived than aluminum.
Windows and building envelopes
- Strong defense of restoring old wood windows: superior wood, reparable frames, ability to retrofit with double or vacuum glass, plus use of storms.
- Counterpoints: original single glazing, lead paint (especially hazardous on sliding sashes), lack of flashing, and poor air sealing can make old units risky and inefficient.
- Several note that energy loss is often more about air leakage than R-value; walls, roofs, and basements matter more than many assume.
- Debate over modern vinyl/PVC windows: some report 30+ years of good service; others see them as short-lived, unrepairable “subscriptions.”
Modern engineered wood and construction
- Many see new-growth softwood plus engineered products (LVL, glulam, CLT, finger-jointed stock) as a major sustainability win that meets structural needs.
- Others highlight tradeoffs: reduced fire resilience of lightweight assemblies, code enforcement and build-quality problems, noise transmission, and moisture/rot issues with OSB and tight, poorly detailed envelopes.
- Consensus that rot resistance and water management (flashings, rainscreens, breathable finishes) often matter more than raw strength.
Forestry, sustainability, and reuse
- Strong support for conserving remaining old-growth forests and prioritizing reuse of old lumber when demolishing buildings.
- Long-rotation, high-quality managed forests are seen as technically possible but economically difficult under current incentives.
- Interest in reclaimed, sunken, and densified wood as ways to get old-growth-like performance without cutting remaining ancient trees.