Evergreen Forest Products provides Ipe lumber and decking for $1.9m Old Ponquogue Bridge renovation

Sag Harbor, NY Evergreen Forest Products, Inc., a leading direct importer and supplier of premium, sustainable hardwoods, including environmentally-friendly marine lumber and dock piles, decking and shingles, supplied Ipe lumber and decking for the $1.9 million renovation of the Old Ponquogue Bridge for which Chesterfield Associates, (based in Westhampton Beach, N.Y. and Westport, ME) was the marine construction and engineering firm. The project encompassed the restoration of bulkheads and boating ramps, as well as a new sustainable deck and handrails. The restoration project was required after the bridge was severely damaged by Hurricane Sandy.

Evergreen provided Ipe wood, which is considered a gold standard hardwood due to its natural fire-, insect-, water- and weather-resistant qualities. Also referred to as Brazilian Walnut, Ipe wood is sustainably harvested from South America and is almost twice as dense as most woods and five times harder. Evergreen supplied three truckloads of the Ipe lumber for the bridge restoration project.

The first phase of the project involved Chesterfield Associates’ collaring of an estimated 48 of the wood pilings supporting the former bridge. The pier, which lies on the south side of the bridge and is used largely by divers, protrudes into the Shinnecock Bay. It is longer than the northern pier, which is used as a fishing pier, and was reduced in the renovation by 300 feet.

Evergreen Forest Products, Inc. has been supplying building materials to municipalities, architects, engineers and builders for over two decades. After recognizing the problems created by  pressure-treated lumber’s leaking of chemicals into oceans and waterways, and roof shingles creating runoff that was seeping into drinking water tables, Evergreen sought a better alternative in premium sustainable hardwoods. Since that time, the company has been a “go-to” resource for equally eco-conscious entities that recognize the importance in reducing their projects’ carbon footprints as an investment in protecting our environment and its natural resources. In addition to Ipe Wood, Evergreen provides Greenheart Wood, Wallaba Roof Shingles and other sustainable wood products. Many of the company’s products are Forest Stewardship Council (FSC C117772) Certified. FSC Certified woods are harvested from forests that are responsibly managed from an environmental, social and economic standpoint.