East Bay company repurposing fallen trees to make stunning furniture

SAN LEANDRO, Calif. - A homeowner in San Leandro is making use of a tree that came down on her yard during the recent storms by repurposing the wood instead of throwing it out.

Christina Walker said a massive bay tree, estimated to be more than 100 years old, fell down on her property during the New Year’s Eve storm. The tree crushed a shed, a trampoline, and damaged her children’s backyard playground.

"We were looking at the Bay tree and thinking it would be so sad to chip it and dump it somewhere," Walker said.

So Walker hired Nick Harvey who makes a living recycling trees. He plans to bring in milling equipment and repurpose the wood into furniture like tables, benches, stumps for the yard, and mulch. He contracts with A Plus Tree, the company is cutting up and piecing out all the branches and the trunk.

‘Every single piece of the tree is going to be reused here," Harvey said. "The best case scenario is that we can turn these trees into wood because otherwise they end up in a green waste facility or a dump."

Harvey owns Bay Area Redwood, a company based in San Ramon that repurposes wood and turns it into pieces of furniture. He has tables, desks, and benches at his showroom at City Center Bishop Ranch. Harvey started the company four years ago.

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"I saw trees being thrown away by my house and I just thought it was crazy," he said.

Harvey said Walker is saving money on the removal and disposal costs since the wood will never leave her property.

Walker is glad to give the old tree new life.

"We’re super grateful to be alive," she said. "Had [the tree] fallen in another direction it would have killed someone."