Cover Story: Vastern Timber

Brimstone: transforming British woods

T

om Barnes is managing director of Vastern Timber, the family-owned business based in Wiltshire that has worked with British wood since 1904. Here, he tells us about some of the latest developments with Brimstone, the British grown, thermally-modified wood.

Q: Can you give a quick introduction to Brimstone?

“To put it simply, we call Brimstone better wood, for better woodlands. It’s an attractive range of thermally-modified British grown wood for exterior applications. It’s ideal for cladding, decking and joinery, and sales have grown strongly since we launched Brimstone in 2016. We currently offer three products: Brimstone Ash, Poplar and Sycamore. Each one has its own look and characteristics.”

Q: What’s the story behind Brimstone – why did you decide to create a wood of this type?

“How long have you got? The story goes back to 2014, at a meeting hosted by Grown in Britain where Vastern Timber, BRE, Timber Strategies and others came together to discuss potential solutions to the poor state of native broadleaf woodlands. The demise of the UK furniture trade had left most native hardwood species, including Sycamore, Ash, Beech and Poplar out of fashion and out of demand. As a result, there was little incentive for landowners to manage these woodlands. The consensus was that the best way to get woodlands back into management was to stimulate demand for the wood growing within them. “We know it makes sense to use British wood rather than transporting timber from the other side of the world. It means less pollution, less road miles and more investment in our woodlands. So, the big question for us, was how to make cladding and decking that would appeal to modern-day tastes using the timber from our woodlands? We found our answer in thermal modification. This genius Scandinavian process gave us the basis for creating Brimstone. We realised we could transform British-grown Ash, Poplar and Sycamore into a durable, stable, beautiful wood ideal for outdoor use – and Brimstone was born.”

Q: What exactly is thermal modification?

“It’s a natural, toxin-free heating process that changes the cell structure of wood. We don’t use any chemicals. We heat the wood to over 200 degrees, which alters the cell structure, so it can no longer absorb water. The process also releases natural chemicals that darken the colour of the wood, giving it a really beautiful, consistent finish.”

Q: Do you send the wood to a thermal modification plant?

“We used to, but not today. Since 2021, the UK’s first thermal modification plant is now sitting in our very own timber yard in Wootton Bassett. We’re really proud of that.”

Q: Once wood has been thermally modified what qualities does it have?

“It has pretty much everything you’d want for cladding and decking. It’s durable, stable and consistent, with much less risk of bending, warping or decay. We have Ash, Poplar and Sycamore wood, which have slightly different properties and looks. Ash has a distinctive grain and is a great all-rounder for decking, joinery and cladding. While our poplar is silkier and more lightweight, unsuited to decking but ideal for cladding.”

Q: Using local wood cuts down on road miles. What are the other benefits?

“As you say, it’s a replacement for some of the wood which is imported from thousands of miles away. This means less road miles, less pollution and CO2 emissions, which is great. Using local wood also means we’re supporting British woodland, helping it to thrive again.”

Q: You’re chopping down local trees, so how does that help in the long run?

“It’s a question we get asked a lot. It sounds counter-intuitive doesn’t it? But using local wood is one of the best ways to help woodland flourish. When landowners make money from selling their wood, they have funds to invest in the longer-term management and preservation of that woodland. They’re also more likely to take care of the woodland and plant more trees for the future. It’s a win, win situation. By using British-grown timber, we’re supporting the local economy. We’re also reducing our impact on the environment and helping our local woodland ecosystems to thrive as well.”

Q: How do people use Brimstone? Can you give us some examples?

“Brimstone works brilliantly for a whole host of projects, particularly decking, cladding and joinery. It’s proving a big hit with builders and architects who are looking for natural, low impact products.

To date, Brimstone has been used on an entire social housing development built to Passivhaus standards. It’s been used as well as for exterior cladding and decking on stunning house builds and awardwinning eco homes as well as for extensions, conversions and joinery projects. You’ll also see Brimstone cladding on the Oxford Trust’s Wood Centre for Innovation at Stansfield Park. It’s an impressive space for science and technology start-ups, surrounded by trees and ponds. The architects were looking for a locally sourced cladding that would blend in with the natural surroundings, while also being as low impact as possible. Brimstone ticked all the boxes, so it works very well.”

Q: What plans do you have for Brimstone going forward?

“Our focus is on continuing to provide an excellent product, while lowering impact even further. Vastern Timber has joined Business Declares, the growing network of businesses that recognise the climate crisis, and we’re working to reduce waste and emissions urgently. We’re pushing our suppliers to manage their woodlands for the long term, we’re attempting to sell, buy and manufacture all of Brimstone within a 100-mile radius of our factory. And we’re moving over to renewables as quickly as we can. We aim to have our modification plant running on 100% renewable energy by the end of 2022. It’s an ongoing journey, and it’s certainly not easy. But we absolutely believe we can, and will, make a difference to our amazing local woodlands.”

Q: Finally, tell us about your side project as a filmmaker?

‘Wood for the Trees’ is a series of short films about the future of UK forests that I am making with a filmmaker from a permaculture background. Working together we set out to discuss forest management, agroforestry, rewilding and the climate crisis with experts from a wide range of different fields and perspectives. It’s generating some interesting conversations on social media.”

Watch the ‘Wood for the Trees’ series at  woodforthetrees.uk Find out more about Brimstone at  www.brimstonewood.co.uk

You can visit the Vastern Timber sawmill in Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire and see where Brimstone is made, as well as our range of cladding, flooring and beams made from locally grown timbers. More at  www.vastern.co.uk