Vermont Wildwoods

Where The Process Begins

Walking through the forests of Vermont, you often will find yourself in some of the most stately stands of sugar maple trees in the United States. Easily rising beyond 90 feet, these treasured giants are linked to Vermont’s very identity. In the fall, they light up the hillsides in flares of foliage that attracts leaf peepers from around the globe. In the spring, they pump out the sweet sap that is turned into world-famous maple syrup.

Nature's Lifecycle

These landscape-defining trees take up to 130 years to reach maturity, while supplying food and shelter throughout their long life. As the forces of nature begin the tree’s decline, their famous hardwood starts to lose its vigor. Opportunistic decomposers enter the once-impenetrable trunks and get to work. This is the final phase of its impressive life cycle, as it transitions back to the rich soil in which its young roots first took hold all those years earlier.

Decomposition

Through the process of decomposition, some of the wood will become spalted with rich black lines left — like traces of ink — by the forest fungus. At this stage, still structurally sound, the wood is beautiful and unique, and can be turned into decorative veneer or plywood.

Spalting

Now, after years of research and development, Vermont Wildwoods has cracked the code of this natural mystery and created a proprietary method of intentionally spalting the wood of felled mature sugar maple trees.