• National Biobased Products Day- Why Wood Is Part of the Climate Solution

    March 8th is National Biobased Products Day and we are tallying the reasons why it’s good to #usewood ! The original biobased product, wood has the powerful attributes of renewability and carbon storage, which make it a superior, sustainable, and environmentally-friendly material. Wood products contain the least amount of embodied energy of any floor covering or common building material. That’s because most of the energy used to create wood comes from the sun, as trees harness solar energy to grow. Very little energy is expended in the manufacturing of wood products, which make up 47% of all industrial raw materials manufactured in the U.S. yet consume just 4% of the total energy needed to manufacture all industrial raw materials. The forest products industry is also the leading generator and user of renewable energy in the United States.

    The Substitution Effect

    When wood products are used in place of fossil-intensive products (like plastics, LVT, tile, carpet, laminate, concrete, and steel ) greenhouse gas emissions are further reduced through the substitution effect. And no other building material provides as many ecological and community services as wood does while it is growing. As forests grow timber, they simultaneously provide wildlife habitat, air and water quality enhancement, recreational opportunity, rural jobs, green space, and carbon sequestration. Sustainably managed forests can provide all of these services in perpetuity while also producing timber the world needs. What’s more, when we manage forests carefully, we can increase their ability to regenerate and their ability to store carbon. Sound forest management also diversifies forest age and class structure, enhancing wildlife habitat and making the forest more resilient in the face of pestilence, wildlife, and climate change.

    When you choose wood products from well-managed forests, you help to keep those forests as forests. Privately owned working forests provide 90% of the wood harvested in the United States. When the families who own these forests have strong markets for their wood, they are more likely to keep their forests as forests. Unlike far-flung parts of the world where there may be no environmental oversight or rule of law, the U.S. is a global leader in sustainable forest management and has a strong regulatory framework to deliver it.

    Wood Products Are Part of the Climate Solution

    The International Panel on Climate Change found that sustainably managed forests yielded the highest carbon storage benefit due to their ability to store carbon in harvested wood products long-term, and because management enhances a forest’s ability to store carbon as well. Wood products, when sourced from well-managed forests, are a safe, sustainable, biobased, environmentally friendly solution that you can feel good about using.


  • 2023 Sawmill Tour at Hull Forest Products

    Stewarding Local Working Woodlands & Manufacturing Materials for the Global Bioeconomy

    Join us for our 2023 sawmill tour at Hull Forest Products and come see what we saw! Learn how our Connecticut forest-based business stewards local working woodlands and manufactures wood products, including green and kiln dried hardwood lumber, wood flooring, and timbers, for the global bioeconomy. Tour our modern sawmill and watch us make products from sustainably harvested local timber. Learn about woodland management, the local forest products economy, and how the sustainable use of forest-derived products can increase the economic viability of forests, securing their future. Find out how wood products reduce greenhouse gas emissions and store carbon, and understand why it’s good to use wood, as well as how you can help forests to thrive in our region.

    This event is free and open to the public on Saturday, October 21st, 2023, from 9 am – noon, rain or shine. 101 Hampton Road, Pomfret Center, CT 06259.

    Email info@hullforest.com for more information or call (860) 974-0127.

    Hardwood logs are tallied at Hull Forest Products in Pomfret, Connecticut prior to being sawn into lumber.
    Hardwood logs are tallied in the log yard at the Hull Forest Products sawmill in Pomfret, Connecticut.

  • The Hull Forest Guide to Styles of Wide Plank Flooring

    By Mary Hull

    white oak plank flooring quarter and rift sawn from hull forest productsd
    White oak quarter and rift sawn solid wood flooring from Hull Forest Products in a Catskills timber frame home.
    Photo credit: @grossanddaley

    We custom mill all kinds of hardwood and pine wide plank floors to fit your look and unique style -whether the place you call home is a vintage farmhouse, a brand new home, or an urban apartment, we can make you the perfect floor. Use this style guide to inspire ideas for your next project.

    Rustic

    Wood with rustic character works well for a variety of spaces – it is a natural fit for log and timber homes, and it’s also great in modern interiors where it serves as the perfect foil for white spaces and sleek surfaces like glass, metal, and tile.

    • Wood floors are an essential design element, comprising the largest visible surface area in your home. Think of them as functional art.
    • Wide and long plank floors create a clean visual line because there are fewer visible seams on the floor. In contrast, shorter and narrower planks create a patchwork effect.
    • Wood with natural character adds a warm, organic element to any interior.
    • Our best selling rustic wood floors are in the natural character grades of live sawn white oak, ash, hickory, maple, and birch. Some people may think of character marks as imperfections, but we think they make the most interesting and beautiful wood floors.

    Modern to Contemporary

    From mid-century modern to the present day and future, if your interior is informed by modernism, we have some ideas for wood floors that will complement your style.

    • Planks of equal width lend a modern air compared to random width planks, which are associated with early homes and traditional milling techniques.
    • Long planks enhance flow in open floor plans, particularly when the same species and color is used throughout.
    • The angular lines of rift sawn white oak make it a popular choice for modern interiors. We also see our wide plain sawn white oak, red oak, ash, and maple going into modern and contemporary spaces.

    Traditional

    Have a vintage home? We can make floors to mimic historic milling techniques, and our random width /random length wide plank floors evoke an earlier time.

    • It doesn’t get any more traditional than old fashioned solid wood plank flooring.
    • Long and wide planks & random widths are associated with historic homes. In the old days, when all logs were sawn locally, people used the entire resource as it came off the log, and they would not have had floors that were all one width, or even all one grade. Rather, they had boards in a mix of grades.
    • We see a lot of our random width flooring, especially live sawn white oak, select red oak, and eastern white pine, going into antique, reproduction, and farmhouse style homes. Because these floors are each a mix of several grades and available in a wide range of widths, they are a good fit for a vintage look.

    Classic to Transitional

    Classic tried and true hardwood flooring enhances your home’s resale value, works with a wide variety of decorating styles, and will look just as timeless in the future as it does today. The transitional style is a classic look that appeals to those seeking middle ground – it is less formal than traditional style and less austere than contemporary style. Transitional style takes elements from the past and the present and mixes them together for a clean aesthetic that prioritizes comfort.

    • Red oak is a classic choice, available in select, premium, and natural grades with plank widths from 3-14 inches and very long plank lengths of 4-10 feet with an average plank length of 7+ feet. Red oak takes stain easily, allowing for a wide range of finish tones, and is less expensive than white oak. Red Oak is also rapidly renewable, making it one of the most environmentally conscious woods you can choose.
    • White oak is another classic choice, available plain sawn, live sawn, or quarter/rift sawn.
    • We see a lot of our select and premium grades of red oak, white oak , ash, and maple going into transitional style homes. When the design leans toward a farmhouse vibe, live sawn white oak is also a popular choice.

    Browse more of our flooring photos to get inspired. Ready for your customized quote? Click below or call us at 1-800-928-9602 .


  • Join Us for Celebrating Agriculture Day on September 25!

    Hull Forest Products will be exhibiting at Celebrating Agriculture Day at the Woodstock Fairgrounds, Woodstock, CT on September 25, 2021 from 9am -3pm. Bring the whole family to this free event to learn about all kinds of local agriculture, including forest management, logging, and the manufacture of sustainable wood products from local timber. Lean how using local wood sustains local forests, provides jobs, and promotes a strong ag economy. Free admission and free parking. See you at the fair!


  • For the Birds: A Forest Walk at Avalonia Land Conservancy’s Hoffman Reserve

    Join Hull Forest Products forester Chris Casadei for a two-hour guided tour of Avalonia Land Conservancy’s Hoffman Reserve on Saturday October 17, 2020 at 10 am. Participants will view and discuss recent forest management activity designed to improve forest health and wildlife habitat. Tour areas of softwood plantation as well as native forest cover types, some managed and some untouched. Ample roadside parking is available and leashed dogs are welcome to join the hike. The location is across the street from 578 North Stonington Road, Stonington, CT. Please register in advance by emailing info@hullforest.com. Participants are also asked to wear masks and practice social distancing on the hike. This tour is sponsored by Hull Forest Products and is part of The Last Green Valley’s Walktober series of events. Hope to see you there!

    warbler
    Yellow rumped warbler

  • Red Oak Flooring – Durable, Classic, and Rapidly Renewable

    Hull Forest Products Oak flooring Yale University
    Red Oak makes a durable, beautiful , and classic kitchen wood floor. Shown here in the quarter and rift sawn cut, select grade. Floor #317. Photo credit: Otto/Pete Aaron for RAMSA Architects.

    Red Oak flooring is beautiful and durable, and Red Oak trees are the dominant hardwood species in the United States. Red Oak is also the the most rapidly renewable of all the American hardwoods: it takes U.S. forests just .57 seconds to grow one cubic meter of red oak! (That’s less time than it just took you to read these first two sentences.) Red Oaks do not grow in plantations – they grow naturally in forests throughout the eastern United States. If you are looking for a highly sustainable wood, there is no better choice than Red Oak.

    Flatsawn (also known as plainsawn) Red Oak select grade wide plank flooring with Minwax Early American stain applied, floor #357, Norwich, CT.

    Red Oaks are named for the color their leaves turn in fall. The wood itself has a distinctive grain and is exceptionally strong and durable. The sapwood is light brown and the heartwood is often, but not always, pinkish to reddish brown. American Red Oak takes stain and finish very well, making it a popular choice for flooring and furniture making.

    Side by side, you can see the difference in appearance between these two unfinished flatsawn boards of Red Oak (left) and White Oak (right). The rays (the little dark brown streaks running with the grain) are shorter and less noticeable on Red Oak, whereas the rays in White Oak tend to be longer and more prominent.

    There are significant regional differences to Red Oak. At Hull Forest Products we use northern Red Oak grown in New England within 100 miles of our sawmill. Because of the colder temperatures, Northern Red Oak grows slowly, giving it closer, tighter growth rings, finer grain, and a lighter and more consistent color.

    A Northern Red Oak log sawn on our double cut bandmill reveals tight clear grain and consistent color.

    Red Oak flooring is just as durable and beautiful as White Oak, but because it is so much more abundant, Red Oak is less expensive, making it a great option for those seeking solid wood flooring at a wallet-friendly price.

    Learn more about grades and cuts of red oak flooring


  • Logging, Forest Management & Land Clearing for Woodland Owners in CT, MA, and RI

    Are you interested in logging, forest management, or land clearing? We’ve been providing forestry services for landowners in CT, MA, and RI for over 55 years, and our work has earned us awards from the EPA and the Sand County Foundation. We can help you achieve your objectives.

    Our state-licensed foresters work with landowners in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island as well as southern New Hampshire and Vermont and eastern New York to help them manage their forest resources.

    Whether your goals are to improve the long-term health of your forest, conduct a timber harvest, convert forestland to open land, increase recreational access to your property, enhance wildlife habitat, generate income, or a combination of these, we can help!

    Contact our forestry department today to learn more about our forestry services at (860) 974-0127 extension 4, or email us at info@hullforest.com

    Read reviews from our logging, land clearing, and forest management clients.

    When we conduct a timber harvest, the wood is used locally at or mill to make a wide variety of products.

    Contact us today 1-860-974-0127 extension 4 , or email info@hullforest.com


  • Board Edge Profiles

    Edge profiles or treatments refer to the amount of “reveal” on the edge of each floor board. At Hull Forest Products, we can customize the edge profile of your wood flooring or paneling. We have a variety of edge profiles for you to choose from, and while the square (snug) edge is always the most popular option for unfinished floors, there are times when you might want (or need) to choose a different style. (Please note that for the sake of making the edge profiles visually clearer, the photos below do not show endmatched board ends; however, our flooring is endmatched unless otherwise requested). Read on to learn more:

    A Square edge profile. The boards abut one another snugly.

    The square edge profile is the most common edge profile for floors that will be finished on-site. With a square edge, the floorboards fit flush together, creating a completely flat surface. The floor boards abut one another snugly- there is no groove where the boards join together on the floor. The square edge profile is only available on floors that will be site sanded and finished.

    The beveled edge, available as a microbevel or a larger bevel. A beveled edge is necessary on prefinished floors as it allows the floorboards to be installed without sanding.

    A beveled edge is necessary on all four sides of the planks of any prefinished floors, as this allows the floor boards to be installed without sanding, accounting for any variation in milling tolerances. A micro-beveled edge is the smallest beveled edge available and will compensate for any minor differences in the thicknesses of the flooring boards, helping to make a smoother transition from one board to another. Because there is a tiny bevel, this can be felt when walking on the floor and the groove is capable of catching dust. A beveled edge also adds a subtle visual outline to the edge of each plank.

    A V-match edge creates a deeper bevel, most often seen on wall paneling.

    A classic for wall and ceiling paneling, a v-match or v-groove edge creates the look of a chamfered edge, where the edges of two adjoining boards slope downward toward the tongue.

    A shiplap edge allows two boards to overlap via a rabbet cut into the opposite edges of the boards.

    A shiplap edge is a traditional method of joining two boards that allows the profile of each board to partially overlap that of the board next to it, creating a channel that provides for weather protection and allows for some dimensional movement.

    Other profiles not pictured above that we can do are beaded edge, bullnose edge, cove, and quarter round, which are popular on shoe or base molding. We can also make base molding to match your wood flooring. Give us a call today and let us know what you need. (800) 928-9602.


  • Hull Timbers Help Restore Tilden House

    The circa 1725 David and Abigail Tilden House, Canton, Massachusetts. Photo credit: Canton Historical Society.

    When the Historical Society of Canton, Massachusetts set out to restore the town’s circa 1725 David and Abigail Tilden House, they turned to hardwood sawmill Hull Forest Products for white oak timbers that could be used to replace rotted structural members in the first-period building.

    Delivery day for a second shipment of white oak timbers from Hull Forest Products.

    Hull Forest Products arranged the harvest of the white oak trees (from southern New England) and milled them into timbers that the preservation carpentry team at Tilden House could use to sister the old beams and replace the worn out timber sill.

    The new white oak timber sill in place at Tilden House.
    New meets old as new oak posts and beams are cut to join with extant parts of the orignial frame.

    Hull Forest Products was excited to play a role in the preservation of the structure. Canton Historical Society has plans to use the restored house as a living history museum and study house to understand early construction techniques. You can learn more about the project at tildenhouse.org


  • Bill Hull & Hull Forest Products Receive Aldo Leopold Conservation Award

    Hull Forest Products and Hull Forest Products founder Bill Hull are the first New England recipients of the Aldo Leopold Conservation Award. Presented by the Sand County Foundation, New England Forestry Foundation, and American Farmland Trust, the award recognized outstanding achievement in the voluntary conservation of natural resources by American foresters, farmers, and ranchers.

    Bill Hull showed an affinity for trees in his childhood Rhode Island backyard. By the age of 15 he convinced a local farmer to lend him the money to purchase a forest. He paid off the loan (with interest) two years later, and was on his way to becoming one of New England’s leading foresters.

    While earning a forestry degree at the University of New Hampshire, Hull got his start in the lumber business sawing white oaks into barrel staves on an old-fashioned circular sawmill. Despite market downturns and collapses, bankruptcy scares, and several devastating fires, he bootstrapped a tiny business into the largest sawmill in southern New England. Today, Hull Forest Products manufactures more than 10 million board feet of lumber into sustainable building materials each year, including wood flooring sold mill-direct to the public.

    With a business dependent on healthy, productive forests, he launched a woodland management division staffed with licensed foresters to help other landowners keep their woodlands intact by providing them a viable financial return.

    He’s acquired more than 27,000 acres of forestland with a single-minded dedication for conserving working forests that provide bird and wildlife habitat and biodiversity across New England. In addition, Hull Forest Products manages thousands of acres of client woodlands in the Northeast, helping landowners grow value in their woods while keeping their forests as forests.

    Hull Forest Products, which employs 80 people, is a family of forestland owner-investors working in the combined fields of forest management, timber harvesting, and wood products manufacturing and marketing.

    Hull credits his rural background with teaching him that growing and harvesting trees helps the environment through increased wildlife habitat, improved air and water quality, and carbon sequestration. He has voluntarily placed conservation easements on 90 percent of his southern New England forests.

    The Hull family has permanently protected 27,740 acres of forestland through Hull Forestlands, much of which is FSC-certified. By removing the possibility of development, it ensures that working forests will remain a source of timber for generations to come. These unique and environmentally important landscapes are home to wetlands, streams, and forests that sustain drinking water supplies for urban areas, and provide habitat for migratory waterfowl.

    In 2000, Hull Forestlands participated in the largest private land protection project in Massachusetts history by permanently preserving more than 8,000 acres of working forestland. The Massachusetts Secretary of Environmental Affairs hailed the innovative project that spread across five watersheds in Massachusetts and Connecticut as a “regional model for innovative conservation of natural resources.”

    “Bill Hull has been protecting and sustainably managing New England’s forests for decades, and New England Forestry Foundation is thrilled to recognize his tireless work with the Leopold Conservation Award,” said Bob Perschel, Executive Director of New England Forestry Foundation. “Over the decades, Bill has helped break new ground be introducing conservation methods like large-scale conservation easements, and he remains a key partner in our efforts to achieve a region-wide vision of forest protection and responsible management.”

    “Bill Hull exemplifies the ideals of Aldo Leopold. His commitment to his industry, land conservation, community, and to the land on which he has built his legacy make him an ideal recipient of New England’s first Leopold Conservation Award,” said Nathan W. L’Etoile, New England Director of American Farmland Trust. “Like Bill, thousands of farmers, foresters, and forestland owners are working every day to protect land, provide clean water and air, combat climate change and produce safe, wholesome, high quality food and fiber for their communities.”

    “Leopold Conservation Award recipients are at the forefront of a movement by America’s farmers, ranchers and foresters to simultaneously achieve economic and environmental success,” said Kevin McAleese, Sand County Foundation President and CEO.

    The New England Leopold Conservation Award is made possible through the generous support of New England Forestry Foundation, American Farmland Trust-New England, The John Merck Fund, The Ida and Robert Gordon Family Foundation, Wildlands and Woodlands, Whole Foods Market, David and Ann Ingram, and the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.

    Sand County Foundation, the nation’s leading voice for conservation on private land, created the Leopold Conservation Award to inspire American landowners by recognizing exceptional foresters, ranchers and farmers. In his influential 1949 book, A Sand County Almanac; Aldo Leopold called for an ethical relationship between people and the land they own and manage. He wrote it was “an evolutionary possibility and an ecological necessity.