Perspectives
A blog dedicated to wood products and the people, communities, and forests that produce them.
Welcome to our blog, where diverse voices from throughout the company share stories about Hampton Lumber, the forest sector, and life in the Pacific Northwest. With Perspectives, we aim to shed light on what goes into producing building materials from some of the most sustainably managed forest resources on the planet.
The Science of Sawdust: Turning Waste into Renewable Energy
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Kristin Rassmussen
Our sawmills produce much needed building materials for communities near and far, but did you know they can also produce renewable energy? Byproducts from the lumber making process (AKA residuals) like sawdust, wood chips, and bark can be repurposed as fuel for a variety of uses. What is Biomass Cogeneration? Biomass cogeneration is a process […]
Reforestation should be a priority for all forest managers
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Kristin Rassmussen
The cold, rainy days have returned, presenting optimal conditions for tree planting in the Pacific Northwest. This winter, Hampton will plant upwards of 6 million trees on the timberlands we manage in Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. That’s roughly 3-4 seedlings for every tree we harvest for lumber. And we’re not alone—best management practices and […]
Northwest Timber: Where Grit Meets Science
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Peter Hampton
The Pacific Northwest has long been the epicenter of the American forestry and logging industry. Today, Oregon and Washington are the top-two softwood lumber producers in the nation, together accounting for 29 percent of the building materials produced in the U.S. The region’s expansive forests, dominated by towering Douglas fir and western hemlock, have provided […]
Students’ Art Transforms Hampton Lumber Wrap
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Kristin Rasmussen
At Hampton Lumber, we believe in the power of community and the importance of celebrating the unique character of the places where we operate. That’s why, in 2022, we gave local high school students the opportunity to showcase their creativity and community pride through a lumber wrap design contest. We received around 100 submissions, each […]
Seeking a Better Future for National Forests at Risk
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Kristin Rasmussen
Since the early 1990s, timber harvest volume on federally-managed National Forests in the Pacific Northwest has decreased by more than 90 percent. While National Forests make up nearly half of all forestland in Washington and Oregon, they currently account for only 10 percent of wood supply in the region. As a result, many mills shuttered […]
Portland YouthBuilders and Hampton Team Up
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Kristin Rasmussen
Hampton has a long history of engagement in the communities where we operate. Headquartered in Portland, Oregon, we work with a number of local non-profit organizations that work to improve quality of life for all. One such organization is Portland YouthBuilders (PYB). PYB has helped thousands of young people whose experiences with poverty, violence, drugs, […]
