We Are Now FSC Certified!

2013 was a fantastic year for Crossroads Recycled Lumber.  We finally were able to shake the drag of the shattered economy, and our investment in infrastructure and marketing over the last two years really paid off.  One of the more exciting new developments here is that Crossroads is now certified by the Forest Stewardship CouncilTM! …

Saying Goodbye to Pete Seeger

This week we are remembering the incredible life and impact of folk musician Pete Seeger, who passed away on Monday at the age of 94.  Like many people, Crossroads’ founder Marc Mandel is a great admirer of Seeger, and the spirit of Pete’s music and work has been an inspiration for Crossroads Recycled Lumber and …

Historic Pen Collaboration

CRL recently supplied The Historic Pen Company with a sample pack of some of our most prestigious and legendary materials including Stanford Gym, San Quentin Prison Hospital, Warner Brothers Studio, The  San Francisco Presidio, Ghirardelli Square Chocolate Factory, and exotic Borneo Ironwood from monsoon blow-down. Pens are limited editions made from wood or timbers that were part of a historic …

“Recycled wood: the truly green key to a sustainable built environment”

The Britsh news website, The Guardian mentioned our company in an excellent article on recycling lumber. According to journalist Leon Kaye’s research… Of the approximate 70m tons of wood sent to landfill annually, the US government estimates 30m tons of it could have been reused…. But while aluminium, glass, paper and plastic are often culled for recycling from construction …

Crossroads Featured in “The Deconstruction of Building 802” Video

Learn about the salvage process from start to finish! This is an excellent, informative mini-documentary about the deconstruction process, following the disassembly of the Port of Oakland, CA.  Thank you StopWaste.org, for all of the work you do to Stop Waste! Crossroads Recycled Lumber is featured from 3:25-5:33. “Our clients are pretty conscientious about where their material …

Woody Biomass Guys Visit CRL

Last summer a couple guys came to the North Fork Millsite “investigating options for the processing of woody biomass from local forests.” They took a tour of our yard and learned about reclaimed lumber! Read their blog about the visit here!

“Remaking the Way We Make Things”

‎”The question before us is not growth versus no growth, It is: what would good growth look like? And this is a question of intent, of design. What if we grow health instead of sickness, home ownership instead of indigence, education instead of ignorance?” -Architect William McDonough   William McDonough is one of our favorite …

Reclaimed Lumber vs. FSC Certified

A California architect wrote to us asking how “the cost of recycled lumber compares to [Forest Stewardship Council] certified lumber.” Below is Marc’s answer. Generally reclaimed costs more than conventional and FSC lumber primarily because of the labor involved in the recycling process. This includes: Saving the lumber from demolition/construction projects Cleaning the lumber (it …

Growing Up with Reclaimed Lumber

Here I am back home in the Valley (well, the foothills) after 5 exciting years in Santa Cruz and Chile. At 23 I’m living with my mom and working for my dad, but I dig it. My job right now is doing outreach for my dad’s business, Crossroads Recycled Lumber in North Fork, California.  I’m …

Sustainable Forestry

A rambling rant regarding “Sustainable Forestry?” We need ten times the old growth stands we presently have because big forests are carbon sinks, taking carbon dioxide and producing oxygen and of course we are blowing carbon in the air at a deadly pace.  Forests in the Western U.S.  are suffering.  Insects, fires, air pollution are killing portions …