How timber innovation can protect old growth forests

When you think of premium feature timber for cladding, decking or façades, your mind likely goes to cedar - that rich, beautiful wood loved by architects and homeowners. But there’s a cost. Cedar and other prized timbers are often harvested from ancient, irreplaceable forests. Logging them disrupts ecosystems, accelerates climate risk, and destroys biodiversity - all to meet demand for aesthetic and performance expectations from people who don’t often know the true cost of their choices. Daniel Gudsell saw the problem. And rather than telling people to stop using beautiful timber, he set out to build a better option. His company, Abodo, is pioneering a new category of rapidly renewable, high-performance wood - grown in sustainable forests, thermally modified to stand up to the elements, and positioned to win hearts as well as specs. It’s part science, part supply chain, and a lot of brand - building a better future for timber by changing not just the product, but how we perceive it. After more than 20 years in the space, Abodo is gaining global traction. But as Daniel shares in this episode, in many ways they’re just getting started. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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How timber innovation can protect old growth forests is an episode from Business Is Boring by The Spinoff.

This episode is 51:26 long.

This episode was published on Jun 16, 2025.

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