May 2026 News from the Sawmill
Welcome to our May Newsletter
This month, ash is everywhere.
The trees are fighting back.
Tom laid it in his own home.
A client came in asking for oak and left with something unexpected.
And a garden in Dulwich has a natural pool surrounded by Brimstone ash decking.
One species. A lot of stories.
Here is this month’s newsletter
Ash is fighting back
It’s still early in the spring. Too soon to get carried away. But for the second year running, the young ash saplings in our woodlands are looking surprisingly green and healthy.
The experts at Future Trees Trust point to two factors. Natural selection and a warm, dry summer in 2025. Stronger trees with some resistance to ash dieback are surviving and reproducing, passing that resistance on. Fortunately the fungus, Hymenoscyphus fraxineus, struggles in warm, dry conditions.
There is still a long way to go. But the signs are quietly encouraging.
He asked for oak. We recommended ash. Here is why.
William Moseley came in with his mind made up. Our team listened, asked the right questions and pointed him somewhere unexpected.
The result is a ceiling that stops people in their tracks.
Our MD had every floor in the yard to choose from. He picked ash.
Tom, our Managing Director, recently laid British ash flooring in his own home.
Not a showroom. Not a client’s home.
His own.
Wide boards and a natural finish. Light, clean and full of character, it changes how the room feels entirely.
If you are thinking about ash for your own home, head to our website.
And a garden in Dulwich with a natural pool surrounded by Brimstone ash decking.
When Ellicar designed an outdoor retreat in the heart of Dulwich, they needed a deck that looked the part and did a serious job. Brimstone ash ticked both boxes. It frames the pool, defines the garden zones and hides all the plumbing underneath.
The photos do the rest of the talking.
80% of our timber is imported.
Britain imports over 80% of the timber it uses. That is not a trade statistic. It is a problem.
Confor has launched a campaign calling on government to treat timber as a strategic national material, alongside food and energy. A new report, presented in the House of Commons, sets out exactly why. The political interest is there. Now it needs voices from across the sector.
Build It Live – 30th & 30st May
We are at Build It Live on 30 and 31 May. Come and find us at stand C40, Three Counties Showground, Malvern.
Free tickets are availabe here, with code “EXH26VAST”
Bring your questions.
We will bring the timber knowledge.
