Why use timber solely from Myanmar?

Teak's character varies widely depending upon the conditions in which it is grown. Because we are using it specifically for its resistance to water, we need it to be as dense and as oil impregnated as possible. The teak that grows naturally in the forests of Myanmar ( formerly Burma) is the finest in the world in the sense that it is slow grown and oily, perfect for our purposes. By contrast, teak grown in plantations is not as dense. In West Africa for example, the annual growth rings can be as much as 18mm in width.

Is Myanmar teak grown sustainably?

Over an area of 338,000 sq. km. the forest has been divided into sections. Under the Burma Selection System, trees above a girth of 7'6" (2.3 mtrs) at breast height are harvested on a 30 year cycle in each area. This way of doing things has been in operation since 1881. In the words of the Burma Forest Act that set the system up, the intention was "to protect and, as far as possible, to arrange the cutting so as to keep well within the productive power of the forests and to ensure a permanent & sustained yield from them". It is no exaggeration to say that Myanmar teak is the most environmentally protected timber in Asia.

Is the harvesting environmentally damaging?

The Myanmar Government uses 6000 elephants to transport felled logs from the forest to river bank. The logs are then floated down river to Rangoon for processing. By contrast with what is happening in many other parts of the world, this is an ideal way to extract the teak without causing damage. Sectors of forest that have been harvested are then left for a further thirty years during which natural regeneration takes place.

How do you know your teak has not been logged illegally?

We rely on suppliers who are signatories to the Forests Forever (Timber Trade Federation) Environmental Timber Purchasing Policy, and belong to the WWF95+ Group and Club Green (FIRA, TRADA)