Mission & Values
Building a sustainable future, one reclaimed board at a time.
Let's Build Something Sustainable Together
Whether you need reclaimed beams for a renovation or want to sell salvaged lumber, our team is ready to help. Fill out the form and we'll respond within 24 hours.
“Every board we reclaim is a step toward a greener Los Angeles.”
— Rafael Cortez, Founder
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Our Mission
To rescue, renew, and redistribute lumber that would otherwise be wasted, providing the Greater Los Angeles area with high-quality, sustainable building materials while drastically reducing the construction industry's environmental footprint.
We believe that the millions of board feet of lumber demolished and discarded in Los Angeles every year represent not waste, but opportunity. Opportunity to build with materials of exceptional character and quality. Opportunity to reduce the demand for virgin timber and the deforestation that comes with it. Opportunity to create jobs, train skilled workers, and strengthen the communities we call home.
Our mission extends beyond simply selling reclaimed wood. We are working to fundamentally change how the construction industry thinks about materials at end of life. Every building that comes down contains the raw materials for the next building that goes up. Our job is to make that transition as seamless, affordable, and beautiful as possible.
Our Environmental Impact
We track every board foot, every ton diverted, every tree saved. Here are the numbers that drive us forward every day.
Board Feet Processed Annually
Tons Diverted from Landfills
Trees Saved (Equivalent)
Carbon Footprint Reduction
Landfill Diversion
Since 2015, we have diverted over 15,000 tons of usable lumber from Los Angeles area landfills. That is the equivalent weight of 10,000 mid-size cars, material that would have decomposed and released methane - a greenhouse gas 80 times more potent than CO2 - for decades.
Carbon Sequestration
Every piece of reclaimed lumber we sell continues to store the carbon the tree absorbed during its lifetime. We estimate that our inventory currently sequesters approximately 4,200 metric tons of CO2 equivalent - carbon that would be released if the wood were burned or left to decompose in a landfill.
Water & Energy Savings
Processing reclaimed lumber uses approximately 75% less energy and 90% less water than milling virgin timber from raw logs. By choosing reclaimed over new, our customers collectively save an estimated 2.8 million gallons of water and 1.4 million kWh of energy per year.
Our Core Values
These six values guide every decision we make, from sourcing lumber to serving customers to investing in our community.
Radical Sustainability
We don't just talk about sustainability - we live it. Every operation, from sourcing to delivery, is optimized to minimize environmental impact. We measure our success in trees saved and tons diverted from landfills.
In practice: When we expanded our facility in 2021, we built the interior walls and shelving entirely from our own reclaimed lumber stock. The solar panels on our roof generate 85% of our electricity needs, and our hybrid fleet reduces fuel consumption by 40% compared to conventional delivery trucks.
Circular Economy
We believe in a world where building materials never become waste. Our buy-back programs, recycling services, and reclamation processes keep lumber in useful circulation indefinitely.
In practice: Our Buy-Back Program, launched in 2024, allows customers to sell back reclaimed lumber they no longer need. We have already repurchased over 8,000 board feet, reprocessed it, and resold it to new customers. Some pieces of wood in our inventory have been through three different buildings over 100+ years.
Transparency
We trace every piece of lumber we handle. Our customers know exactly where their wood comes from, how it was processed, and what environmental impact their purchase has avoided.
In practice: Every order ships with a Provenance Card that documents the wood's source building, approximate age, species verification, and the estimated environmental savings of choosing reclaimed over virgin lumber. Customers tell us they frame these cards alongside photos of their finished projects.
Community Empowerment
Affordable housing, local employment, skills training - we invest in the communities we operate in. Sustainable business means sustainable communities.
In practice: Our Timber Trades Apprenticeship has graduated 52 adults into good-paying careers in woodworking and construction. One graduate, Marcus Johnson, started as an apprentice in 2021 and now runs our custom milling department, managing a team of four. His story is one of dozens that prove the transformative power of investing in people.
Innovation
We constantly explore new ways to reclaim, process, and repurpose wood. Our R&D team works on everything from advanced denailing technology to creative upcycling methods.
In practice: In 2023, our team developed a proprietary magnetic scanning system that detects embedded metal in reclaimed timbers with 99.2% accuracy, dramatically reducing blade damage during milling and improving safety. We also pioneered a low-temperature kiln-drying protocol specifically optimized for old-growth reclaimed species.
Quality Assurance
Every piece of reclaimed lumber we sell is carefully inspected, graded, and prepared. We stand behind every board with our satisfaction guarantee.
In practice: Our six-point inspection process checks for structural integrity, moisture content, metal contamination, insect damage, dimensional accuracy, and surface quality. Pieces that don't meet our standards for structural lumber are diverted to our craft and accent wood lines, ensuring nothing is wasted. Our customer satisfaction rate has been above 98% every year since 2019.
Community Programs
Sustainability starts with people. These programs represent our commitment to strengthening the communities we serve through education, employment, and shared resources.
Habitat for Humanity Partnership
Since 2018, we have donated over 40,000 board feet of reclaimed lumber to Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles, providing materials for 38 affordable home builds across the county. Our team members also volunteer over 200 hours per year on Habitat build sites, bringing their woodworking expertise directly to the communities we serve.
Timber Trades Apprenticeship Program
Launched in 2021 in partnership with LA Trade Technical College, our 12-month apprenticeship program trains unemployed and underemployed adults in lumber grading, milling, woodworking, and sustainable building practices. Apprentices earn a living wage during training and receive industry-recognized certifications upon graduation. To date, 52 apprentices have completed the program with an 85% job placement rate.
Community Builds Initiative
Our Community Builds program provides discounted reclaimed lumber and volunteer labor for neighborhood improvement projects in underserved areas of LA. We have supported projects including community garden structures in Watts, a library reading pavilion in Compton, playground equipment in Boyle Heights, and church renovation projects in South Central. Each year, we allocate $50,000 in materials and 500 volunteer hours to Community Builds.
School Woodshop Program
We partner with 15 LA-area middle and high schools to supply reclaimed wood for woodshop classes, STEM programs, and environmental education curricula. Our team visits participating schools quarterly to give hands-on demonstrations and talk about sustainability, the circular economy, and career paths in the trades. Over 1,200 students have participated since the program launched in 2022.
Monthly Community Workshops
Every first Saturday of the month, we open our showroom for free community woodworking workshops. Topics range from beginner projects like floating shelves and cutting boards to advanced techniques like live-edge slab finishing, Japanese joinery, and timber frame construction. All materials are provided from our reclaimed stock. Over 2,400 community members have attended since 2019.
TreePeople Reforestation Partnership
For every 1,000 board feet of reclaimed lumber we sell, we fund the planting of five native trees through TreePeople's urban reforestation program. Since 2020, this commitment has resulted in the planting of over 2,800 trees across the Los Angeles basin, improving air quality, reducing urban heat island effects, and restoring native habitats.
Industry Partnerships
We work alongside leading industry organizations to advance the adoption of reclaimed materials and advocate for sustainable building practices at every level of the construction industry.
American Institute of Architects (AIA) - Los Angeles Chapter
We are a preferred materials partner for AIA-LA, providing reclaimed wood samples, technical data sheets, and specification support for architects pursuing sustainable design. We present annually at the AIA-LA Materials Fair and sponsor the chapter's Sustainable Design Awards.
US Green Building Council - LA Region
As an active USGBC member, we contribute to the development of LEED credit guidelines for reclaimed materials and participate in working groups on embodied carbon reduction in the built environment.
National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)
We work with NAHB on guidelines for incorporating reclaimed lumber into residential construction, ensuring that salvaged materials meet structural and safety codes while earning green building credits.
Deconstruction & Reuse Network
As a founding member of this national coalition, we advocate for deconstruction-first policies that require selective salvage before demolition, keeping usable materials out of the waste stream.
LA Metro Contractors Alliance
We maintain supply agreements with three of LA's largest general contractors, ensuring a steady pipeline of demolition lumber from major redevelopment projects and providing reliable reclaimed material supplies for their sustainable building projects.
Certifications & Awards
Third-party certifications and industry recognition that validate our commitment to quality, sustainability, and community impact.
Certifications
Rainforest Alliance - Rediscovered Wood
Certifies that our reclaimed lumber is responsibly sourced from verified demolition and deconstruction projects with full chain-of-custody documentation.
USGBC LEED Contributor
Approved supplier for LEED-certified construction projects. Our reclaimed materials help builders earn MR (Materials & Resources) credits for recycled content and regional materials.
LA Green Business Certification
Certified by the City of Los Angeles for meeting rigorous environmental standards in waste reduction, energy efficiency, water conservation, and pollution prevention.
B Corporation Pending
Currently in the assessment process for B Corp certification, which evaluates a company's entire social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency.
FSC Chain of Custody (Reclaimed)
Forest Stewardship Council chain-of-custody certification for reclaimed wood products, verifying responsible handling from source to customer.
CARB Compliant Facility
Our facility meets California Air Resources Board standards for dust control, emissions reduction, and air quality management in wood processing operations.
Awards & Recognition
Green Business of the Year
Los Angeles Business Journal
Inc. 5000 Fastest-Growing Companies
Inc. Magazine
Sustainability Innovation Award
SoCal Green Building Council
Small Business Champion
LA County Board of Supervisors
Circular Economy Leader
California Environmental Business Alliance
Best Workplace - Small Business
LA Business First
Our Sustainability Roadmap
We set ambitious targets and hold ourselves accountable. Here is where we are headed over the next five years.
Zero-Waste Facility
Achieve zero waste to landfill at both our Vernon and Sun Valley facilities. All wood waste from milling and processing will be converted to mulch, animal bedding, biomass fuel, or donated to community garden programs. Currently at 94% waste diversion.
Electric Fleet Conversion
Complete the transition of our entire delivery fleet from hybrid to fully electric vehicles. We have already ordered four electric medium-duty trucks and are installing Level 3 charging infrastructure at both facilities.
Carbon-Negative Operations
Reach carbon-negative status by sequestering more carbon in the reclaimed wood we save than our total operations produce. This includes expanding our solar generation to 100kW, completing the electric fleet conversion, and purchasing verified carbon offsets for any remaining emissions.
1 Million Board Feet Annually
Scale our processing capacity to 1 million board feet of reclaimed lumber per year, doubling our current output and establishing LA Lumber as the largest reclaimed wood operation on the West Coast.
100 Apprentice Graduates
Graduate our 100th apprentice from the Timber Trades program, expanding the program to accept 30 participants per year and adding specialized tracks in timber frame construction and furniture making.
Deconstruction-First Advocacy
Work with the City of Los Angeles to pass a comprehensive Deconstruction Ordinance requiring selective salvage on all demolition permits for buildings constructed before 1960, potentially diverting 100,000+ tons of usable materials from landfills annually.
Our Promise in Numbers
Waste Diversion Goal
Local Jobs Created
Community Projects
Trees Cut Down
Apprentices Graduated
Trees Planted via TreePeople
Customer Satisfaction Rate
Current Waste Diversion Rate
Our Commitment to You
When you choose reclaimed lumber from Los Angeles Lumber, you are not just buying building materials. You are investing in a vision of a construction industry that wastes nothing, a city that values its architectural heritage, and a community that takes care of its people and its planet.
We promise to continue pushing the boundaries of what a reclaimed lumber company can be. To keep rescuing beautiful wood from landfills. To keep training the next generation of skilled tradespeople. To keep innovating new ways to process and repurpose materials that others have discarded. And to keep proving that sustainable business is not just possible - it is profitable, scalable, and essential.
Every board has a story. Every purchase makes a difference. Thank you for being part of ours.