Log Homes Built from Canada's First Certified Sustainable Forest Reserve

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<h1>Log Homes Built from Canada's First Certified Sustainable Forest Reserve</h1> <p align=right>by Gord Higgins</p> <div align=justify>There is nothing like the warm ambiance and enduring quality of a Log Home. Eco-Log Building Concepts is a unique Builder and supplier of Log Home and Cabin Kits. Unlike other Log Home Builders, Eco-Log Building Concepts has tapped into an un-discovered market by constructing environmentally-friendly, “state of the art” Log Homes. Furthermore, this Log Home Construction company seeks out high-quality wood from the 60,000 acre, privately-owned Haliburton Forest Wildlife Reserve, located about 2.5 hours north of Toronto Ontario to develop various, charming Log Home designs. Haliburton Forest Wildlife Reserve (www.haliburtonforest.com) got started when owner and Forestry graduate Peter Schleifenbaum moved to Ontario from his native country, Germany, in 1987. He moved in an effort to take over and manage the land left to him by his father. A quarter of a century earlier, in 1962, the elder Schleifenbaum purchased the large tract of wilderness from a Logging Company that had depleted the timber resources and moved on. Over the past four decades the land has been transformed to become a thriving operation. Today, Peter Schleifenbaum continues to contribute economically and environmentally to the long-term ecological stability of the forest. As a leading provider of conservation and sustainable resource management, in 1998, under the stringent guidelines of the International Forest Stewardship Council, Haliburton Forest was certified as the “First Sustainable Forest” in Canada. This recognition was certified by the Boston based Smartwood / Rainforest Alliance, the agent at that time. Eco-Log Building Concepts has tapped into the resources and ecological preservation theories of Schleifenbaum and Haliburton Forest. They have gone to the heart of the Wilderness to develop Log Homes that will be environmentally-friendly, attractive, and charming—suited to meet their clients’ needs. Eco-Log Building Concepts and Haliburton Forest have teamed up to offer the best nature has to offer—preservation of forests and wildlife. The foundation is built on the theory, "good forestry is good business.” By carefully selecting the timber used on the Log Home Building Kits, preventing wasted materials, and selecting high-quality, long lasting wood such as hemlock, the eco-system is able to be protected and preserved. “Because hemlock is often overlooked by today’s builders, the price is lower than many other species, an advantage we pass on to our customers for their Log Home Construction,” says Schleifenbaum. Eco-Log Building Concepts (www.ontario-log-homes.com) was a natural fit for the Haliburton Forest Reserve. There are specific quantities of mature hemlock that come due for harvesting every season – some measuring up to thirty inches in diameter. Each tree is individually selected, carefully felled and skidded by horse before transportation to the nearby Haliburton Forest Mill. Using state of the art saws, each board is squared for timbers or sawn into boards for planking. The Eco-Log Home and Cottage Building Kits utilize the Haliburton Forest hemlock. The Log Homes boast steep pitched roofs, spacious lofts, and heavy timber walls. Standard logs come 8” x 8” squared but there are other options for seasonal buildings. Although Eco-Log has many standard plans available from 100 to 3000 square feet, Log Homes can be built to any design. “We have developed many Ontario Log Homes and have shipped a number internationally. All of our customers agree that Log Homes look like a home should—welcoming, comforting and enduring”, says Gord Higgins, Sales Manager for Eco-Log. One thing is for sure - Log Homes are back in fashion. There are many Internet based resources for Log Building Construction techniques. Haliburton Forest Reserve can also provide prospective home purchasers with a tour of the mill and review the Log Home Manufacturing process. </div> <p align=center>Article source: <a href="http://www.ArticlePros.com/home_care/disaster_readiness_and_repair/article-16711.html">ArticlePros.com</a></p> <table align=center width=550 cellspacing=1 bgcolor=silver cellpadding=5> <tr bgcolor=antiquewhite> <td> <p align=center><b>About the author</b></p> <p align=justify>Gord Higgins is the Sales Manager for EcoLog Building Concepts, a Log Home Construction company that seeks out high-quality wood from the 60,000 acre, privately-owned Haliburton Forest Wildlife Reserve--Canada's first sustainable forest reserve. For further information on Eco-Log Building Concepts Log Home Construction or Log Building Kits, please call (705) 754 4663, e-mail gchiggins@sympatico.ca, or visit www.ontario-log-homes.com. </p> <p align=left><a href="www.ontario-log-homes.com" target="_blank" title="will open in new window" class=blue>www.ontario-log-homes.com</a></p> <p align=center><input type=button class=asubm value="Other articles by Gord Higgins" onclick="document.location='http://www.ArticlePros.com/author.php?Gord Higgins'" style="height:20px;cursor:hand"></p> </td> </tr> </table>