Metamorphosis Urban Woods into mainstream uses? Complete Landscape - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Complete Landscape Solutions for the Urban Environment

Metamorphosis

Urban Woods into mainstream uses?

about Tournesol Siteworks

• Manufacturing products

for urban landscapes since 1979

• Exclusively focused on

products for commercial and high- end residential on- structure landscapes

• Based in Hayward, CA,

near San Francisco with manufacturing facilities in: California, Texas and Minnesota.

materials we work in

• FRP fiberglass
• GFRC concrete
• Metal
• Plastics
• Wood—building out
• pportunity now

Commercial Opportunity

• Current commercial

landscape construction— South American tropical hardwoods

• Ipe, Jatoba, Massaranduba,

Cumaru, Iroko and Teak

• Why are South American

tropical hardwoods used?

• Thermally-modified wood

(TMW) as an alternate to tropical hardwoods

What is thermally-modified wood?

• Domestic hardwoods treated

in a special high temperature kiln.

• AWPA Use-Class UC3B &

Class A flame spread (ASTM E-84)

• Dimensionally stable
• Easy to work with
• Attractive color

Urban wood as potential starting stock for TMW

• Ash is an excellent hardwood

for TMW—Green is very good, black ash not so much

• Oak—common urban tree

and excellent hardwood too

• Irresistible marketing pitch to
• ur specifiers and owners
• Similar color as ipe
• FSC or Urban Forest Product

Certification

• “Upcycle”

Urban wood—why it fits for Tournesol

• Still have somewhat limited

needs

• Ash is available
• Somewhat flexible on lengths

coming in

• “But” there are challenges

Challenge #1: Local Sawyers

• Quantities required
• Pricing / Efficiency
• Consistent sourcing and

availability

• Reliability

Challenge #2: Intermediate Steps – Availability

• Drying availability

(outsourced) very limited

• Transportation /

Quarantine issues

• Processing—flexibility

in working to specific sizes

Challenge #3: Scrap

• Need high-quality

material—Select or better

• What do we do with the

rest of the tree?

Central Issues

• Tournesol Siteworks is not a

dedicated wood company

• At some point, cost of wood

and efficiencies have to come into line

• Thermal modification is not

an inexpensive process

Bridging the gap

• Determined that it’s

more important to build demand for TMW than incorporate urban wood into the supply chain

• Depending on wood

type and sources, we hope to apply greater resources into developing urban supply

Long-term Outlook

• Very compelling product

for Tournesol’s customer base

• Perhaps once TMW is

more established, urban wood will be able to sell at a higher price point

• Offsetting the higher

development cost.

Thank You!