The Watershed Collection

Collaborating with Our Forests

What if the built and natural environment had a balanced, reciprocal relationship?

Flowing from sources such as the Delaware River watershed and the Catskill watershed, our New York City water supply depends upon the forests of the surrounding region. Trees collect, store, and filter water, playing an essential role in managing water quality and preventing stormwater runoff from overwhelming watersheds. Without the work of our forests, this runoff would erode riverbeds, destroy habitats, and deposit sediment into streams and rivers, degrading the water quality and, by extension, the quality of life for all living beings in the region. Just as we rely on these trees for our most essential needs, the forests also require our careful care and management.

Our Watershed Collection is the result of years-long research in the field to create a sourcing system that supports regenerative forestry with a focus on watershed health. The Northeast region has a rich history of forest regeneration and craft that predates the founding of the United States. We approach this work keeping in mind the region’s past and focusing on how to create a more resilient future. This collection showcases the durable, diverse hardwoods that our local forests provide, varied in both their potential applications and aesthetic options.

Each wood in the Watershed Collection tells a unique story that connects back to the forest and to a more resilient future.

Forest-Sourced for Forest Health

What is sustainable wood? The answer begins with a sourcing process that puts forests first.

Tri-Lox is guided by a mission to source and craft wood that has a positive impact on both people and the natural environment. After years of working in reclamation, our expansion into forest-sourced wood began as field research in collaboration with Yale School of the Environment. Working directly with foresters and forestry students, we learned about sourcing material through sustainable forest management planning—generating timber through removals that support biodiversity, habitat, and watershed health.

Our research led us to see firsthand how vital trees are in maintaining a healthy ecosystem across our landscape, from the most rural areas to our region’s densely populated cities.

The watersheds in our region are reliant on trees’ capacity to filter and store high volumes of water. While the tree canopy manages rainwater by intercepting and slowing its path, roots draw up water from the soil, creating additional space for water to be stored. The vibrant ecosystem of organisms, insects, and tree roots creates a porous network that allows for water drainage and storage. Trees are also crucial in filtering pollutants out of the water and the soil, either converting them to nutrients or storing them in the wood. If too many trees are removed due to forces such as development or irresponsible methods of land management, this natural filtration and storage system breaks down while erosion increases. These conditions increase sediment deposits in the water supply and reduce the storage capabilities of rivers and reservoirs, thus increasing water pollution and habitat destruction, adversely impacting regional wildlife, and require extensive human intervention to manage and filter our water supply.

This process of sustainable sourcing means that we’re working directly with a network of foresters and land managers who are invested in forest growth and resilience rather than purely market-driven, extractive practices. Foresters opt to remove trees for an assortment of reasons: one may want to open up the canopy in a particular area to encourage new growth or, if one species becomes too dominant, certain trees will be removed to encourage biodiversity. Each situation is a careful assessment, but all with the underlying mission of creating a thriving forest and healthy watershed. Through our work with these land managers and our network of regional sawyers, Tri-Lox creates a sustainable pathway for this timber to be transformed into architectural and furniture products. This approach relies on the yield of material from regenerative forestry practices and assures those trees have a purpose that extends far beyond the end of their lifecycle.

Like our circular pathway of reuse for reclaimed wood, this system is regenerative in its reliance on sustainable land management, focus on maximizing wood use, and commitment to a transparent regional supply chain.

“The ultimate merits, or environmental and social burdens, of timber building will come to bear not only on the performance of a particular building but on that building’s contributions to the dynamics of its forests.”

– Kiel Moe, “There’s more to timber building than trees”, The Architect’s Newspaper

Ash

A native tree common throughout the eastern portion of North America, Ash is extremely dense and well-suited for a variety of uses, including high impact objects such as baseball bats and tool handles, as well as flooring, cladding, and furniture.

In addition to being highly durable, Ash’s flowing grain figure and light, oat hues create the foundation for a series of finish options that convey both the warmth of a natural material and a bold, modern design choice.

Camber Studio brought Tri-Lox onto their project to provide custom flooring and millwork for an office renovation at Crye Precision headquarters in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Ash in a Neutral finish is used throughout the space, including herringbone flooring for the office’s yoga studio.

Five unique balconies include Ash countertops, table tops, benches, and cladding. The wood features create warm, dynamic workspaces that invite people to meet and collaborate within the larger office.

In addition to our Neutral finish, the Lunar White and Ebonized finishes offer a variety of options for an array of applications.

White Pine

White Pine has been revered for centuries both as a tree and a building material. Even with this storied history of use – from ship masts to timber framed structures to flooring and furniture – the wood still has a contemporary look. Our Alabaster finish showcases the elegant cathedral grain, while giving the material a matte, lightened surface.

White Pine’s Neutral finish emphasizes the flaxen tones of the natural material.

Black Cherry

This hardwood has long been prized in our region’s rich history of craft: Its frequent application in the Shaker furniture tradition reflects the simple elegance and utility of the wood. Black Cherry has a refined grain and a golden hue that grows more luminous with age, a quality underscored by our Natural finish.

Tri-Lox designed tables and benches for family-owned restaurant Sons of Thunder in Manhattan. The minimalist space highlights Black Cherry’s warm tones and unique grain character.

Maple

Maple trees yield a robust timber well suited for even the most hard-wearing interior applications. One of the lightest tones in our catalog, the Pearl finish has a matte, contemporary quality that highlights the subtle character of the wood grain.

The Neutral Maple slatted ceiling for a Manhattan church combines the warmth of natural materials with a contemporary look that maximizes acoustic quality in this communal space.

Black Locust

This timber offers the density and weather-resistance of tropical hardwoods in a material that is harvested locally and sustainably.

Our Coastline finish is a stony gray hue that creates a seamless transition from initial installation to the silver patina that Black Locust develops over time.