The abundance of beautiful, surplus wood on our doorstep

Have you ever wondered what happens to urban felled trees?

Today, we present the third installment in our ten-year anniversary series, sharing ten important lessons we've learned since our inception, as designers, makers, social entrepreneurs and educators.

In London alone, more than 5,000 mature trees are felled each year. Several years ago, we made the shocking discovery that the majority of these trees are needlessly chipped and burned for biofuel. However, with the help of like-minded timber suppliers, we have found a way to save these trees from incineration, transforming them into low-carbon, sustainable furniture.

Marie, Goldfinger CEO & Co-Founder, sat down to discuss this topic with Bruce Saunders from Fallen & Felled, a London-based timber sawmill dedicated to reclaiming felled urban trees. Listen to their conversation to find out more about the beautiful wood species that grow on our doorstep, and how we can work together to give these majestic trees a second life.

"Most of these trees in London are chipped and will be burned. Most big tree surgery yards have contracts with biomass... If the timber's burned, the carbon goes straight up into the air. By milling the tree and it going into furniture... that carbon stays in the timber for generations, far beyond our lifetimes."

Bruce Saunders, Founder of Fallen & Felled.