Baltic Birch: A Closer Look At Our Baseline Material

So, you’re interested in getting standy with a Baltic birch StandStand? Great choice! We want you to be as knowledgable about your StandStand as we are, so here we’ll dig into our choice of material and tell you about just how awesome Baltic birch is.

First off, we chose Baltic birch for its unique strength, flexibility, and sustainability. It’s used in everything from longboards to airplanes, and it grows like wildfire.

If we’re getting geeky about it, the specific tree species is betula pendula, or silver birch, which is particularly great for woodworking projects.

At StandStand, we’re dedicated to responsible forestry and are using European birch — it’s very sustainable, as it covers a wide territory and regrows quickly.

So, what about the certifications, you might be asking? Our Baltic birch is CARB compliant and it is rated E1 compliant for formaldehyde emissions produced in making the composite that eventually becomes a StandStand. For those of you who aren’t up to date on the latest woodworking jargon, CARB is the California Air Resource Board and E1 is the highest rating for formaldehyde emissions in the European Standards. If you feel like learning more about each standard, manufacturer Franklin International has put together a comprehensive resource on them.

We’re very particular about our suppliers, and we’re currently on a search for an FSC certified silver birch from Finland — as woodworking rumors go, Finnish birch attains the highest quality. We’re also really excited about Finnish birch, because silver birch is the national tree of Finland. According to Wikipedia, “Leafy, fragrant boughs of silver birch (called vihta or vasta) are used to gently beat oneself in the Finnish sauna culture.” Now, that just sounds like a good time.

Let us know if you have any questions about our Baltic birch! We’re always a tweet away at @getstandstand!