Border Oak (FSC®C105756) grew from a tiny acorn of an idea in 1976 when the late John Greene rescued a medieval barn from demolition to create a home for his family, which led him to reviving the long‑lost craft of green oak framing. In 1980, he set up a small workshop in rural Herefordshire with his brother-in-law Mark, hoping to disrupt the conventional housing market and offer more people the chance to build their own green oak framed homes.
Fast forward to today, Border Oak specialises in designing and making bespoke, handcrafted oak‑framed buildings, from homes and outbuildings to commercial projects, across the UK and abroad. The company is known for its craftsmanship, innovation, and unwavering commitment to natural materials and ethical procurement, and it continues to pioneer sustainability advances within the self-build sector.
Heather Hulse, Training & Outreach Officer at FSC UK, recently spoke to Merry Albright, John’s daughter and Border Oak’s Creative Director, to learn more about their sustainability journey and why FSC-certification plays such a central role in their work.
Why did Border Oak decide to use FSC certified timber?
"Border Oak have always used sustainable green oak for all our house frames, and for much of their joinery - working closely with a small number of partner timber specialists, mills and merchants. However in the early days some joinery suppliers were exploring alternative hardwoods from overseas for joinery items such as windows and doors, as an alternative to oak. John came across an article about some dubious logging practices abroad, it really struck a chord with him. He felt that Border Oak needed complete and demonstrable confidence in the provenance of all our timber - how it was procured and where. My colleague Steve took up the challenge – seeking a way to ethically manage our timber purchasing. FSC‑certification provided exactly that, ensuring materials are sourced from forests managed with both environmental integrity and social responsibility. For a family business founded upon a love for natural materials, traditional craft and ethical trading, it was a natural fit."
What motivated Border Oak to gain FSC certification?
"With an ethical procurement policy already in place, FSC Chain of Custody certification felt like the logical next step. This helped to formalise supply chain partnerships, which in turn safeguard the long‑term availability of the high‑quality timber we rely on. Certification also strengthened our collaborative approach to sustainability: by requiring FSC standards from those we worked with and purchased from, Border Oak have supported other businesses to celebrate more sustainable practices and approaches. Over time, FSC‑certification has become embedded in our culture, echoing how we operate as a small family business and reinforcing a commitment to sustainable design - from conception, to procurement and through to construction."
What drives the business to be more sustainable and ethical in its procurement and design and build?
"Border Oak has been at the forefront of sustainable construction for more than forty years now, and that pioneering spirit continues to shape our work. Clients appreciate our use of natural materials and craftsmanship, and the team is seeing growing interest in timber buildings and products as people better understand the impact of carbon‑intensive processed materials such as steel, plastics and concrete. As part of our innovation strategy, we recently designed and built a new staff welfare barn, made almost entirely from timber (structure, insulation, claddings, etc). This project allowed us to test new ideas and new timber products, whilst exploring areas where perhaps UK regulations might need to evolve in order to better support modern timber technologies."
Merry also raised an important point about the future: "As the government’s Timber Construction Roadmap encourages wider adoption of timber buildings, demand could outstrip supply of some types of timber, and see the market gaps filled with uncertified wood. Without careful management, this could disadvantage those smaller companies already committed to timber construction, and risk unintended environmental impacts in the wider market."
"Our clients understandably expect that their homes are sustainably and responsibly sourced and made but are reassured to learn just how deeply our company’s values run, and how committed we are to certified, ethical procurement and the use of timber."
Border Oak shows that buildings can be sustainable, traditional, long-lasting and genuinely beautiful. Their long‑standing ethical procurement policy and commitment to low‑impact construction reflects a considered commercial and practical approach to protecting the environment while honouring the craft they were founded on and creating great homes to live in.
To learn more about Border Oak, visit their website: borderoak.com
