Urban Wood Rescue Creations

by Taylor Elgin

June 1, 2023

Image of a redwood planter box filled with bright orange California poppies. The wood-burned design on the box reads, "Thank you for supporting Sacramento Tree Foundation Urban Wood Rescue"

Whether you’re a pro or a hobbyist, we’ve got an acre of logs, slabs, and wood to inspire your next project.

What is Urban Wood Rescue?

As part of our seed to slab philosophy, we steward the urban forest at every stage. This includes the end of a tree’s natural life—the slab! A program of the Tree Foundation, Urban Wood Rescue (UWR) was founded to keep logs out of the landfill and mill them into usable lumber. By using this wood for your projects, you can give these trees a second life and honor the legacy of our great urban trees. 

Where does UWR get their wood? Can I donate my own log?

Urban Wood Rescue receives donated logs through the City, SMUD, Tree Care Services, and community donations. Don’t rush over to bring just any log though, UWR has some rules/regulations/standards about what species they can accept: to be millable, logs must be relatively straight, free of decay, must be on the accepted species list, and fit the length requirements. Thinking about making a delivery? Fill out the form at the bottom of this page or give us a call at 916-974-4336 to coordinate a delivery (Note: donated logs must be delivered to our location with advance notification and approval).

Get inspired

See what others have created with our wood to get inspired for your next project, big or small!

Image of a large redwood cookie transformed into a hairpin leg table sits on a grass lawn.
Check out this hairpin leg table made from a large redwood cookie. 
Image of a necklace of handmade urban wood walnut and sycamore beads.
We love how these handmade urban wood walnut and sycamore beads by Kayden Rosenbauer turned out!
Image of a large finished sycamore slab table surrounded by four tufted grey chairs.
This Sycamore table by Madeline is the perfect place to share a meal with friends and family.
Image of a rocking chair made up of urban redwood
Who wouldn’t want to lounge in this redwood rocking chair by Michael Sheehy?
Image of a large sloping zelkova slab featured at the Urban Wood Rescue yard. The sloping ends gives a waterfall effect. Flyers and pamphlets for the yard sit on top of the table.
This zelkova waterfall table is one of our favorites!
Image of a redwood cookie with light edges and a bright red center with thin black table legs. On the table sits a white bowl with decorative yellow lemons.
We love how this Truxel cookie coffee table by Room and Board turned out!
Image of a mottled grey-brown liquidambar slab cut into a rectangle cutting board. Two large knives rest on the magnetized board.
How cool is this liquidambar magnetic knife caddy by Shawn Grossman?
Image of six wooden redwood planters sit stacked on top of each other. The top, a darker red, is filled with purple and orange flowers and the two holding it up are filled with bright yellow flowers. The top planter reads, "Sacramento-grown Redwood"
These redwood planter boxes are the perfect addition to your home garden!
Skip the DIY, call a professional

Have an idea for an urban wood project but not the time or skill? We’ve compiled a list of local makers who have supported Urban Wood Rescue or given us their business information who can help make your dream come to life.  

Visit UWR

Feeling inspired or just want to check out what we’ve got going on at the yard? Visit us at 6045 Midway Street (Depot Park) in Sacramento open Thursday – Saturday (8:15 A.M. -4:15 P.M.). You can also see what slabs are available online.