Our Roots

We are tree people. Our focus rests on preserving natural forests. Ultimately, educating the public on the utilization of waste products.

We are furniture people. Our goal is to design and handcraft extraordinary one-of-a-kind pieces destined to be the focal point of any room.   Each celebrates natural beauty marks like knots, grains and other imperfections not found in mass-produced items.

Combining our two ambitions gave birth to Urban Tree Salvage. A group of thinkers and doers enthusiastic about creating functional art pieces for the home exclusively from salvaged wood.

When a tree comes on hard times, whether it be insect infestation, storm damage or urban development, we do our best to rescue it. In the GTA alone, this includes over 9,000 trees a year. We select from these trees based on characteristics like species and quality. Then we bring the logs a short distance to our facility. With a sawmill and kiln we create useable lumber.  This lumber is placed in our kiln to reduce moisture and be heat treated to stop the spread of insect and disease to living trees.

As some of the oldest members in our city, trees are rich with stories.  While we prepare the lumber we begin to unfold these tales.  Buried within we’ll often find concrete, bricks, metal spikes and other artifacts. These objects remind us that people, roads and urban development invaded the space of trees, not the other way around.

Working together with environmentally conscious and design-curious customers we build made-to-order items. We include the end user in the entire process. Selecting wood types, drawing designs and adding the unique personal details that make a piece of furniture a piece for conversation are all done together. What we create in the end is environmentally friendly and functional art that is cost comparative with anything else in the market.