Reclaimed Wood
Reclaimed timber comes in different wood types. It is sourced from churches, warehouses and factories, though not from railway sleepers, which tend to contain too many toxins for domestic use. Recommended finish: wax.
Reclaimed wood furniture is highly attractive and growing in popularity. 
It is also an excellent environmental choice. Although wood is in essence an environmentally sound material - entirely natural and (in principle at least) renewable - we are currently using it very unsustainably. Excessive and unregulated logging is destroying forests around the world, and the wasteful way timber is used in countries like the UK means we are consuming far more of the raw material than we need.
One way we can alleviate the pressure on timber resources is by re-using waste timber rather than throwing it away. This will also relieve the pressure on the UK's overburdened landfill sites. There is a thriving industry in the UK making furniture from reclaimed wood, including kitchen tables, fitted units, dressers, chests of drawers, and a wide range of other items, and this is a great way to give old timber a new lease of life.
In buying reclaimed wood furniture, you will not only be acquiring a beautiful addition to your home, but also be making an excellent environmental choice, helping to save the world's forest resources and the UK's landfill space.
Sustainable Wood
Gathering Moss supports the Forest Certification Scheme (FCS) that encourages responsible forest management.
FSC is an independent, non-profit, non governmental organisation (NGO), founded in 1993.
It is an association of members from environmental groups, the timber trade, the forestry profession, community forestry groups and other organisations from around the world.
FSC runs a global forest certification scheme which ensures that timber produced in 'certified' forests can be traced from the forest of origin to the end user i.e. you and me.
Leading environmental groups endorse just one label in the marketplace-that of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), which certifies that the wood in a product has been sustainably produced.
Key FSC principles include: the protection of forest watersheds, soil and indigenous species; restricted chemical use and limits on genetic engineering; local populations have influence over forestry operations; and fair-labor policies are upheld. Some FSC policies are being criticized. For instance, logging of old-growth trees is still allowable in some of its "well-managed" forests; the FSC also has reduced the minimum amount of certified-wood content from 70 percent to 30 percent for chip and fiber-board products carrying its label.