Feature Species: Siberian Larch
Botanical name: Larix sibirica
Origin: Irkutsk, Siberia
Defining features: Tight grain; Very dense; Highly durable; Consistent Quality and Colours
Siberian Larch is known as the Tree of Eternity.
It is a sustainable, old-growth timber that has been used in construction for centuries. Today it is used extensively throughout Europe, primarily for external applications such as cladding and decking, and for other uses including flooring and Olympic velodrome tracks. Its remarkable qualities and unique performance characteristics have led to it being referred to as the 'Tree of Eternity'.
The raw material is manufactured by one of the leading primary producers of Siberian Larch in the Irkutsk region of Siberia. With immediate access to a plentiful supply of old growth logs from this vast forest area, our supplier is able to provide us with Siberian Larch of an exceptional quality that exceeds the official GOST grading standards.
The wood fibre from this region is characteristically dense with exceptionally tight grain, a consequence of the slow growth rate of the trees in this harsh climate.
Silva’s Siberian Larch grows in an ‘extreme continental climate’ which is characterised by long cold winters and short hot summers. As a consequence trees grow more slowly and contain a high proportion of latewood. This is the part of the wood in a growth ring of a tree that is produced later in the growing season. The cells of latewood are smaller and have thicker cell walls than those produced earlier in the season. The resulting wood fibre is tight grained, dense (750 kg/m3) and hard. In fact Siberian Larch is the hardest of all commercially available softwood species. It has a Janka scale rating of 1100 lb/in2 (European Redwood is 480 lb/in2). This makes it more resistant to impact and abrasion than many other wood species and therefore well suited for use in public areas where wear and tear may be of concern.
Large Content of Heartwood
Siberian Larch trees are composed of 75-90% heartwood in their natural existence, which is denser, less permeable and more durable than sapwood. Heartwood provides maximum durability, consistent quality and a more uniform colour.
Independently Verified Environmental Credentials
Siberian Larch is one of the few old growth species that are being harvested from a sustainable forest. Larch species actually account for 38% of the timber in a forest area 2.7 billion acres in size. The natural growth rate of Siberian Larch is five times more than the rate at which it is being harvested, making it a sustainable renewable resource that is in plentiful supply.
Silva Timber takes great care in ensuring that the Siberian Larch we buy comes from a sustainable source – It is fully FSC certified.
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