I’m Tom Barnes, managing director of Vastern Timber, a British hardwood sawmill and timber merchant based in Wiltshire.

We specialise in home grown timbers including English oak, sweet chestnut, ash, sycamore and larch. About 90% of the timber processed at our sawmills was Grown in Britain, and much of it sourced within 100 miles of our sawmills.

Vastern Timber was founded in High Wycombe in 1904, by my great grandfather Leonard Barnes. For over one hundred years the Barnes family have been purchasing logs from local woodlands and we continue to believe that it makes sense to do so.

Using homegrown timber allows us to offer beautiful British wood in grades and specifications that are not commonly available from imports, and reduces the carbon costs of transporting timber from overseas.

Purchasing timber from well managed local woodlands provides some of the necessary financial support for the protection and management of these important habitats.

I believe the wood from our trees offers us one of the best building materials for a low carbon future.

For more information visit www.vastern.co.uk/environment