What are urban forest hardwoods?

Cities and towns have routinely planted a wide variety of hardwood trees along their streets and thoroughfares to provide welcome shade and stately beauty. One of the four types of forests - tropical, temperate, boreal, and urban - the urban forest is often the most overlooked. Although many people grow up amidst this forest, climbing its trees, swinging from its limbs, and picnicking in its shade, it is also one of the least understood.

As a result of the efforts to create these forests, cities in temperate climates often have as many as 200 species of trees in their urban forest, many of them hardwoods. Cities located in sub-tropical regions can often have as many as 700 species of trees. This bio-diversity often exceeds that of natural temperate forests.

As cities develop, roads widened, and construction progresses, the trees of the urban forest are typically cut down and either sent to the landfill or cut into firewood. Up to 20% of the waste disposed of in landfills is made of tree refuse!

A 1994 study into the volume of wood generated as urban forest waste wood in the United States concluded that between 2 and 3 billion board feet of lumber is disposed of in American landfills annually! This amount of lumber represents approximately 18% to 25% of annual U.S. hardwood output!

Utah-based Urban Forest Woodworks, the supplier of the panels for Puzzlesmith puzzles, has been rescuing urban forest hardwoods from the Salt Lake and Cache Valleys and manufacturing an exclusive and beautiful line of wooden boxes and other items. Urban Forest Woodworks is proud to be a rescuer of urban forest hardwoods.

The Puzzlesmith is excited and pleased to be able to utilize Urban Forest Woodworks' hardwood panels for its puzzles. Not only are these panels beautiful, but they also include many species of hardwoods which are not normally available for products.