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

Metamorphosis Urban Woods into mainstream uses? Complete Landscape Solutions for the Urban Environment

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 opportunity 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 our 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!