In the late 1990’s some domestic customers challenged us to find a less expensive substitute for American maple, that would be a similarly light-colored hardwood that would suit the growing trend for lighter finishes, that is in plentiful supply, has excellent machining properties and that is harvested in a sustainable manner. European birch met all these requirements admirably. Over the next few years the Challinors went to work to develop a new supply network, traveling extensively across northern Europe, inspecting woodworking factories, talking to industry professionals and developing a comprehensive understanding of the Baltic woodworking industry. Over the last twenty years this groundwork has paid off and our Baltic birch program has blossomed. Although the species of Baltic birch is still not widely known in the U.S., it is gaining recognition rapidly and is poised to become an industry standard, just as Baltic birch plywood has done in the plywood industry. CWP has quickly become perhaps the largest importer of solid birch products in North America, shipping some thirty containers/month of various birch products–lumber, components, mouldings, glued panels and drawer sides--to the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
Our birch program is reliable and professional. We have an established program with a select group of woodworking facilities, primarily in the Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) and Russia. Our standards for our mills are quite high, but we have developed a reputation for honesty, fair-dealing and technical knowledge, so that we have become the favorite customer for most of our Baltic producers. In turn, our customers receive material that is delivered on-time, produced to the correct specification and in the correct quantity and they avoid the problems that have plagued many companies that have tried to buy from Russian producers or less reliable Baltic mills and agents.
As a species, Baltic birch is an excellent substitute for hard or soft maple or Canadian birch and is substantially less expensive than any of these species. Even when unselected for color, Baltic birch is almost uniformly white. This makes it an excellent material for kitchen/furniture doors, cabinet face frames, drawer sides, flooring and moulded parts.