As a member of the DeckTec community you have, no doubt, heard about our love affair with California redwood. This wood is strong, long-lasting, bug and disease resistant, and one of the finest building products ever discovered. And chances are if you have a DeckTec deck, you have it right under foot.

But is redwood’s existence going to be there when I need a new deck?

We don’t tend to talk in terms of the wood’s natural state, unless there is something in the news that might affect either the quality or the price of the great wood we use. Lately, the drought in California has been frequently mentioned on television and in magazine articles, so we thought we’d check in with the California Redwood Company (a subsidiary to the Green Diamond Resource Company) to see if there is cause for concern.

Gary Rynearson, Manager of Forest Policy and Communications, from the California Redwood Company said not to worry. “While the El Ninos and La Ninas lead to fluctuations in precipitation, redwood endures. In fact it’s name, Sequoia Sempervirens, means forever living.” He said that where the redwood comes from, in the northwest portion of California, the forests rely more on the constant fog and moisture off the Pacific Ocean than on the reservoirs which collect snowmelt that occurs each spring in California.

“Our forests are within thirty to fifty miles of the coast,” said Gary. “This puts us in the fog belt which is more effected by the ocean than the mountains.” The redwoods tend to feed off that moisture in the air as much as from any of the annual mountain snowmelts. And even though no place is completely safe from the drought, he said that Humboldt County is “fortunate in that we have a unique water system here. Our community depends on the two main rivers near us. But we used to supply water to two pulp mills that have now shut down, leaving a surplus of water that we can sell rights to.” He said that this situation has been great for drinking water, for manufacturing, and even for the natural habitat of fish. “Actually,” said Gary, “I understand we have two years’ supply for our needs within the reservoir, if California’s drought continues. And, remember, a vast majority of drinking water around here comes from our forests.”

So, the drought doesn’t affect the quality of wood homeowners are buying today?

While you or I won’t stop to think about it often, we at DeckTec wondered if the drought or other weather conditions could adversely affect the quality of redwood being harvested right now.

“From a climate standpoint, no, you don’t have a negative affect,” said Gary. “The trees we harvest are generally 50 to 100 years old.” He said the fluctuations in moisture and temperature may cause a slight change in color for the rings of growth, but wouldn’t change the quality of the wood itself.

And if you’re concerned about harvesting such old trees, Gary assured us that California has some of the most strident environmental standards in the world. In addition to the exacting requirements for harvesting in California, Green Diamond and the majority of redwood producers are voluntarily certified to FSC standards. The FSC, or Forest Stewardship Council, is an international organization of business people, environmentalists, and community leaders dedicated to “meet our current needs for forest products without compromising the health of the world’s forests for future generations.”

And as for the age of the trees cut down? This is actually considered “new growth,” as Sequoia sempervirens generally live 500 to 1000 years, some even growing to the ripe old age of 2000 years.

And then there is the concern about wildfires destroying the redwood supply.

A recent National Geographic article claims that the drought conditions and general rising temperatures in the West have extended the wildfire season by two months. We asked Gary how California Redwood Company handles this.

“When weather conditions and humidity indicate a susceptibility,” he said, “we practice something we call hoot owling, or hoot-owl-shifts. We start our workdays earlier, during the coolest temperatures and shut down before the heat of the day could become a factor. We try to be as careful as possible about this.” Gary mentioned that if the temperatures and lack of humidity were to couple with high winds, that operations would be shut down entirely, but that this situation almost never occurs.

And even in the event of a forest fire, the California redwood has some natural protection. According to an article on the Flower Essence Society website, “the dense redwood bark provides protection against the periodic fires that sweep through redwood forests, often clearing out other trees and shrubs, leaving the singed redwoods standing and ready to grow on for centuries more.”

So from a DeckTec perspective, redwood remains one of the best products you can buy with regard to putting in, maintaining, or refurbishing your deck. It is strong, beautiful, and sustainable in a changing world. For more information about the environmental practices related to redwoods see www.greendiamond.com.