NATURAL DECORATIVE WOOD BRANCHES

MANZANITA
Manzanita are evergreen shrubs or small trees present in British Columbia, Washington, California, Arizona and New Mexico, there are 106 known varieties growing up to 6m tall. The dead wood decays slowly and can last for many years, on and off the plant. Sunlight smooths and bleaches Manzanita to light grey or white, rendering it superficially akin to animal bones. Because of this and the stunted growth of many species, broken Manzanita is often collected in its more unusual shapes, giving it the nickname 'Mountain Driftwood'.

Our Manzanita comes from the Pacific Northwest, where the environment is a little different to where a lot of Manzanita Suppliers harvest the branches. On our Suppliers land, it grows in the low elevation forests where large trees like Pine and Douglas Fir are the naturally dominant trees. Since humans started suppressing natural wildfires, the Manzanita has become severely overgrown among them.

The Manzanita is more of an understory shrub that competes with the larger trees for water and nutrients. Thinning the Manzanita away from these larger trees helps to create a more natural healthy forest. A forest more similar to what existed thousands of years ago when natural wildfires kept Manzanita in check.

Wildfire has long been a natural part of the forest ecology in the West. Lightning sparked fires would go through the forest every few years and clean up the forest. The large trees like Douglas Fir and Ponderosa Pine have thick bark that protects them form the low ground fires. Most of the branches and foliage in these larger trees is held high in the trees are out of the reach of the flames. After a cleansing fire passes through, a nutrient rich layer of ash is left behind to nourish the forest. Any buildup of dead woody debris and underbrush, including Manzanita would normally be consumed.

Manzanita seeds can lay dormant in the soil for decades, and when there is a soil disturbance, like wildfire or timber harvesting, they quickly sprout into new Manzanita trees. They grow back quickly and reseed within a few years before enough fuel builds up to support another wildfire.

In this area Manzanita would naturally grow with a short life cycle. But around a century ago, humans started suppressing wildfires. It started with good intentions, but the result has created unnatural conditions in the forest. Without regular fires to clean up the forests, Manzanita, other shrubs and small trees have been able to grow up into unnaturally thick conditions creating huge fire danger.

Now when we do get a wildfire, the thick growth has created a huge fuel source that makes the fires explode into fire storms. These fires often consume the entire forests including the large trees that would normally survive the more natural ground fires of the past. The overgrown Manzanita also competes with the large trees for water and nutrients. This makes the large fir and pine susceptible to dying from bark beetles and drought.

Thinning the Manzanita away from the large fir and pines allows the remaining trees to grow faster and makes the forest more fire safe and disease resistant. The Manzanita still reseeds itself and as they do grow back our Supplier harvests them periodically the same way that fire would naturally.

When you buy manzanita wood from us you are helping restore the forests back to more natural conditions and contributing to making the forests safe from being consumed by wildfire and bark beetles. At the same time you are getting a sustainable grown valuable product that you can enjoy.

Manzanita is popular for decoration due to their unique shape, colour and strength when dried. They are characterized by smooth, orange or red bark and stiff, twisting branches. We also supply sandblasted Manzanita branches with a weathered finish like driftwood or painted.
Manzanita is a dense durable wood, which resists decay making it a great choice for aquariums and aviaries.

PRESERVED
Preserved flowers and leaves were a popular form of artistic expression during the Victorian age and are once again gaining popularity for artistic and practical use. A single leaf, a flower, moss and ornamental grasses can be preserved, just as a 30ft palm tree can. Many of the palm trees you see in shopping centres and hotels are preserved, we supply their fronds.

Our customers use our preserved ferns and preserved palm fronds in flower arrangements, home crafting projects art, interior design and interior landscaping, they are also widely used in TV and film production.

WASHINGTONIA PALM FRONDS
Washingtonia is the only palm native to the Western United States. Its name honors George Washington, the first President of the United States. Washingtonia Palm trees grow up to 25m high and the fronds are up to 2m in diameter. Common names are 'Californian Fan Palm' and 'Petticoat Palm'. Our Washingtonia Palm fronds range from 40cm in diameter to 1.2m.

PHOENIX PALM FRONDS
Phoenix Palms diverse range of habitats include swamps, deserts and mangrove sea coasts. Palm fronds were a symbol of triumph and victory in pre-Christian times. The Romans rewarded champions of the games and celebrated military successes with them. Our Phoenix Palm fronds range from 40cm long to 2.5m long.

FERN FRONDS
The term frond refers to a large, divided leaf. Young fern fronds start life known as 'fiddleheads', the fiddlehead resembles the curled ornamentation on the end of a stringed instrument such as a violin. Their delicate unfolding foliage has inspired many symbolic sculptures and designs.

We supply our intricate preserved fern fronds pressed in packs of ?

AQUARIUM WOOD
Manzanita wood is becoming one of the most sought after types of aquarium wood.

Natural Manzanita has colours and a texture like no other wood, and the colours are only amplified when the wood is wet. The wood is non toxic and considered to be chemically inert, so it is safe for aquatic and terrestrial animals including fish and reptiles.

Manzanita branches are highly resistant to decay and will last much longer than other aquarium wood. Manzanita wood is also idea for an aquarium because it is so dense and heavy, making it one of the easier woods to sink.

Manzanita however will float until it becomes saturated with water. This can take a few days or weeks depending on the size of the wood. Until the branch is saturated enough to sink you can weigh it down with a rock or other heavy object.

In an aquarium, Manzanita branches provide great habitat for your aquarium life forms. The twisted shapes and branches make good hiding places and look beautiful. The unique shapes and sizes are attractive and often look like miniature versions of giant logs and pieces of tree. The root wads are great, they look like miniature stumps and the tangled roots make great hiding places.