“To be without trees would, in the most literal way, to be without our roots.”
— Richard Mabey
Have you ever seen a big tree? I mean a massive tree. Maybe it was a redwood in the Pacific Northwest, a sequoia in Sequoia National Park, or maybe it’s just an old growth tree at your local park. If you’re really blessed, maybe it’s in your own backyard.
Trees grow very slowly. I bet you knew that. Sometimes, it’s a maddening fact - you plant a tree and you want it to grow fast! Where’s my shade!? But whether you like it or not - no matter the fertilizer and watering routine or the amount of love you shower upon them, certain kinds of trees - especially hardwoods and aromatic cedar - can only grow so fast.
When you see an awe-inspiring tree, you know he took some time to get to this state of grandeur. He’s been through a lot - droughts, floods, severe storms, maybe even survived a fire or two. He’s lived through a lot of history - he’s seen many people, towns, trends come and go. He’s sheltered countless creatures, both human and animal, under his broad leafy limbs - maybe some critters even call his trunk or branches their home now. Maybe he has a few stray bullets embedded deep in his bark from a woodland shootout or from being used for target practice. Perhaps he’s grown a little bent and sideways, being constantly bowed from persistent winds. Maybe his slow and steady growth habits have enabled him to grow into and envelop old barbed-wire fences or other objects, as old trees sometimes have a habit of doing. All of this is part of what gives him character and makes him who he is. The events in a tree’s life mold and make him who he is and shape the character of his grain, much like our own experiences shape us over time.
These slow growth habits are actually part of what makes mature hardwoods so invaluable for construction and woodworking. One reason they grow more slowly than softwood trees is that the wood is naturally dense (hence the name - hardwood). It’s solid. That takes time! As a tree gets older and more mature, it develops more of what’s called heartwood - which is essentially the cells in the middle of the tree (or rather, the heart of the tree), which no longer carry water and essentially are dead cells. The cellulose in these dormant cells hardens and makes the heartwood stronger. It’s the darker woodgrain seen in the very center of the trunk. As the outer sapwood dries and becomes heartwood, mineral compounds called extractives (terpenes, phenols, and resins) are emphasized resulting in deeper colors. This is especially present in many local species that NPL specializes in, like American black walnut, pecan, osage orange (bois d'arc), persimmon, blackjack oak, red oak, and a local softwood favorite like aromatic eastern red cedar.
Here at North Point Ranch in Whitesboro, Texas, home of North Point Lumber, we’re blessed to have many of those old, wizened trees all throughout our property. The ranch has been in our family since just after the Civil War, when our family relocated here to start a new life after the chaos and destruction of the war. North Point has been a haven for trees since the property has been in the same family for six generations. Contrast that to much of the land in North Texas that’s been cleared for grazing or parceled off and turned into commercial developments or dense neighborhoods. Sometimes, a forested area here on the ranch has to be cleared to allow more room for grazing for the herds.
That’s how North Point Lumber was born - instead of sending these majestic, mature trees to the burn pile, they’re turned into something beautiful again, and given new life and purpose - maybe furniture, structural beams, pergolas, fences, decor for your home, and more. They live on in a different way and are treated with the respect and dignity a magnificent tree deserves!
The area North Point Ranch was settled on is unexpectedly rich in history and natural resources. North Point sits right on the borders of North Texas and Southern Oklahoma, and Grayson County and Cooke County, in the Cross Timbers ecoregion. The Cross Timbers is characterized by it’s rich variety of trees growing in its sometimes acidic, sometimes sandy red clay soil. This exceptionally diverse grouping of native trees on North Point Ranch includes hickory, oak varieties, osage orange, walnut, pecan, mesquite, persimmon, elm, aromatic cedar, amongst so many others. In the past, this area of the Red River was dubbed Delaware Bend. This bend in the river formed a natural peninsula that eventually became home to the ranch in the mid-1800s. Later on, this portion of the Red River was turned into one of the largest man-made reservoirs in the US - Lake Texoma - which the US Army Corps of Engineers built in the 1940s. German POWs from WWII assisted in its construction - the first time POWS in the US were used in a labor camp. The sprawling area chosen for Lake Texoma was home to various towns and settlements - which were purchased by the government and now sit underwater to this day. Remnants of these ghost towns can still sometimes be found by divers or low water-levels, and serve as reminders of the area’s past. Southern Oklahoma, just north of Delaware Bend, was a refuge for Civil War deserters and outlaws. This forested wilderness was the perfect hiding place for those on the lam.
These trees were part of the rich natural resources found in the Cross Timbers ecoregion and Delaware Bend. They provided shelter while alive and standing, and again after they were milled and turned into wooden structures. They produced food for humans and critters alike. Their wood had countless uses - fuel for early engines, warmth for cold nights, light for winter’s short days, cabins for settlers (including our great, great grandparents). With this wood, tools, furniture, weapons, fences, and so much more were crafted so society could exist here, and go on to thrive. These ample natural resources have consistently contributed to the rich history of this area that’s been woven over the past few centuries.
When we look at our majestic trees, we think of all the history these towering, ancient, leafy friends have seen. Did they have a village of the Caddo people living nearby? Perhaps they sheltered roving outlaws like Billy Boreland, Bonny and Clyde, the Quantrill Gang, or Jesse James, who were all known to have frequented the rural, sometimes lawless land as they evaded law enforcement. Maybe they saw Civil War bushwhackers move through the area from one rogue skirmish to the next. The growing trees watched as the dusty Butterfield Overland Trail coaches rattled by and stopped at a popular stable along the route on what is now North Point Ranch with their mail and passengers en route to the West. They coexisted with species now rare or extinct in North Texas, such as the ocelot or gray wolf (Whitesboro was originally called Wolf Path, due to the wolves roaming around the Red River Valley). These trees witnessed the introduction of the automobile, and then began to see planes soar over their lofty green branches. They saw a lot of history and change.
When you buy a handcrafted North Point Lumber product, you’re acquiring a unique piece of Texas history. You bring it home and it begins a new chapter in its story - your story. This wooden piece of history begins to intertwine with the history your family is building each day. That’s the oak shelf your family photos are sitting on. There’s the pecan charcuterie board that serves the snacks while you celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, and all of life’s little milestones. The black walnut mantle is in the background of your family’s snapshot beside the Christmas tree. You’ve shared countless meals, laughs, and memories at the cedar table in your dining room.
These aren’t just any run-of-the-mill wood products - they're part of a tradition of excellence and a labor of love that serve as nature's reminders to live life slowly, savor every moment, age gracefully, build character over time, grow in seasons of plenty, and let the hard times make you stronger. These reminders continue to bless us as we honor the long lives of these beautiful, giving trees. Thank you for making your home the next chapter in the story of a North Point Lumber creation for many years to come.