Vastern Timber, the UK’s largest and most established hardwood sawmillers, have announced a three-year partnership with tree improvement charity Future Trees Trust.

Vastern Timber is donating £5000 a year, for the next three years, to support the costs of Future Trees Trust’s work with sycamore. They will also feature Future Trees Trust’s work as part of their “Wood for the Trees” film series, to help publicise the work of the FTT.

As committed champions of home-grown hardwoods, it makes perfect sense for Vastern Timber to support the work of the UK’s only tree improvement charity. Future Trees Trust are dedicated to improving broadleaved trees to increase their timber yield and disease resilience, and Vastern Timber will support their work on sycamore progeny trials.

Sycamore is a key species for Vastern Timber, whose Brimstone cladding is made from thermally-modified, British-grown sycamore. The product relies on a continuous source of UK-grown, top quality sycamore timber. Future Trees Trust’s work will help to ensure such a supply.

The partnership will see Vastern shooting another in their “Wood for the Trees” films at Future Trees Trust’s sycamore progeny trial at the Bathurst Estate in Gloucestershire, early in 2021.

Tom Barnes, Managing Director of Vastern Timber, says: “We are pleased to support the Future Trees Trust sycamore seed trial, which is a perfect fit for Vastern Timber. Our sawmills have worked with locally grown timber since 1904, and this project underlines our commitment to continue working with British grown wood.”

Tim Rowland Chief Executive Officer at Future Trees Trust, says: “We’re delighted to be working with Vastern Timber. It’s clear that Tom and Vastern are totally committed to the future of home-grown hardwoods and working with them to ensure a future for timber-producing sycamore trees is a great match. Their passion for what we’re trying to achieve makes working together incredibly mutually beneficial.”

Watch Vastern Timbers Video Series:

Introducing Wood For The Trees, a series of films investigating the future of our forests. Tom Barnes is managing director of Vastern Timber, a family firm specialising in British grown timber. He’s concerned for the future of our forests, and hopes that future generations can enjoy them as we do. In 2020, he is working with activist and filmmaker Charly Le Marchant to record a series of short films discussing the future of our forests. Tom talks to experts from a wide range of backgrounds with different perspectives, considering our hopes and fears for the future of our forests.