June 22, 2022

About Our Timber Purchasing Policy

Since 1904, our timber purchasing policy has been to source wood locally.

Our timber purchasing policy document was last updated in 2021, and it is available to download below.

Here’s a summary:

Our Responsibility 

We understand that we have a responsibility to the environment, our staff, customers and suppliers. 

This means we will do our best to:

• Base our commercial activities on wood sourced from well-managed local woodlands.
• Source wood from forests accredited under either PEFC or GIB schemes.
• Avoid timber from contentious sources.
• Minimise the effects of transportation through local purchasing.
• Support the management and creation of British woodlands.
• Play a positive and productive part in the UK forestry and timber industries.

Legality

We are committed to complying with UKTR legislation by identifying the source of all the timber we buy, as well as taking all reasonable measures to ensure that we do not purchase illegally harvested material under any circumstances.

Supplier Monitoring

We will regularly obtain from suppliers:

1. Up to date forestry management plans.
2. The clearest practicable information regarding the source of logs.
3. Current chain of custody certificates.

All information received will form part of our purchasing decisions and we will make this information available on request.

Timber Certification

The independent certification of forests, and process chain, is the most useful tool in providing assurances that timber comes from legal and well-managed forests. We are currently committed to the PEFC and GIB certification schemes.

We will only use labels or certificates that include environmental claims if these are supported by publicly available standards, drawn up in a fully participatory, transparent and objective manner. These must also be backed by independent inspection.

Avoiding Misleading Claims

We will avoid misleading and unsubstantiated environmental claims. 

Management Structure

Managing Director Tom Barnes is responsible for the implementation of this policy. He will ensure that environmental issues relevant to the policy are discussed regularly at the highest level of management.

Use this link to download the Timber Purchasing policy

Supporting British woodlands by using British wood

For over one hundred years the Barnes family have been purchasing logs from local woodlands and we continue to believe that it makes sense to do so.

For more about us and our history, visit vastern.co.uk/about-us/