Reclaimed wood : a field guide Wood reclaimed from old houses factories barns water tanks and boardwalks has become a valuable commodity treasured for the patina that gives witness to its history. Our ancestors built well using locally sourced lumber that expressed the culture and natural history of their region: oak and pine in the Northeast; hickory and cypress in the South; Douglas fir and redwood in the West. Reclaimed Wood: A Field Guide is the first complete visual handbook to this popular resource covering history culture salvage sources contemporary uses (in buildings and furniture) and practical advice Reclaimed wood A short history of wood in America Sources of reclaimed wood. Old houses and apartment buildings ; Barns ; Industrial buildings ; Wooden tanks ; Curious and uncommon Reclamation Designing with reclaimed wood A trees story Glossary.