Felled ash trees get a new lease of life as beautiful and durable timber cladding

Timber from ash trees felled on the Hadlow Estate to prevent the spread of disease have undergone a special process so they can be used as a beautiful and durable building product.

The Estate had to remove the trees because they were at risk of ash dieback, a disease that has caused significant losses of ash across the British countryside. Kate Teacher said the Estate was determined to find a positive use for the felled ash and contacted Wiltshire-based Vastern Timber after learning of their innovative range of timber building products at a Forestry Commission event several years ago.

Vastern developed Brimstone, the first thermally modified British hardwood, ten years ago to take under-used British hardwoods and turn them into a world-class material for use externally and internally in the construction industry.

Kate said: “I was intrigued and thought it was a brilliant way to add value and longevity to British native hardwoods and support British timber and forestry. It has been rewarding to get some of our ash into Vastern as we manage our woodland.”

Ash removal works are undertaken by the Hadlow Estate to maintain the health of the woodland and take out trees at risk of losing branches as they succumb to the effects of dieback.

The work is supported by the Woodland Tree Health Scheme which provides financial support to remove diseased trees and replant with new species.

The area where the ash trees stood on the Hadlow Estate has been replanted with native English hardwoods, including wild service and disease-resistant elms

Vastern sources timber through a long-standing network of forest and woodland contacts and Managing Director Tom Barnes regularly visits recently felled areas to inspect trees for their suitability for the thermal modification process.

He said: “Ash dieback has hit our woodlands hard, so it’s rewarding to give felled ash a second life as Brimstone rather than firewood. Working with estates like Hadlow is how we like to source: good British hardwood from people who care about their land.”

To make the Brimstone cladding the timber is treated by heating to 210°C in a controlled process that improves durability and stability without chemical treatment. It creates a stable, long-lasting hardwood cladding with a relatively knot-free, clean appearance and provides a British-grown alternative to imported timber cladding.