Bernard Dru is a specialist oak floor producer in West Somerset. The oak comes from his own woodlands and is seasoned following traditional methods to produce high quality timber suitable for flooring, restoration, joinery and cabinet making.

The woodlands extend over the Haddeo Valley forming a dramatic and romantic landscape in one of the many more beautiful parts of England. They passed to the present owner by inheritance and he has devoted more than twenty years, in close consultation with Exmoor National Park, to their careful management. This is done on a sustainable yield basis. In plain English, this means that no more is felled than has grown in any given year and that not more than 1% of the total woodlands are clear felled each year, thus preserving this valuable natural resource.

There is a crop cycle of one hundred and fifty years and growth in the balance is encouraged by light thinning about ever ten years.

This is a family business committed to achieving the best possible broadleaf woodland management which combines producing high quality oak with preserving and enhancing the natural landscape.

The felled oak is seasoned or weathered following traditional methods.

As a rule of thumb, oak boards are seasoned for one year per inch of thickness. They are then kiln dried to a moisture content of 10% - 12% (unless differently specified) to cope with the drier climate that central heating has imposed. The seasoned oak is especially suited to oak flooring, architectural restoration, furniture making and joinery.

Beam oak is either sawn 'green' from fresh felled trees or 'weathered' from trees that have been felled and left in the round for two to four years. Fresh sawn large beams are sawn 'boxing in' the heart of the tree. We also supply crucks and other specialist products which are used in restoration work.