Fair Wood is closing down

CERES’ unique timber social enterprise had been for sale over the past year.

Three times CERES agreed on terms with a buyer.

But on each occasion something would come from left field and bring the deal undone.

In the end Fair Wood ran out of time.

On Saturday as the news filtered out, regular customers came down to the warehouse with disbelief in their eyes.

As the business of closing began around them there was a common refrain,  “Where am I going to get my timber? There’s nowhere like this.”

Over the past six months CERES has been working with a group of tree-growers who were keen to buy and carry on Fair Wood.

Veterans of the agroforestry movement, they were the perfect buyer - committed to Fair Wood’s ethics and part of a network of tree growers who could supply ethical timber to Melbourne’s builders and makers into the future.

These were the very people Fair Wood was originally started for.

At the last minute on the eve of signing a sale agreement the owners of Fair Wood’s warehouse decided not to renew the lease and put their building up for sale.

This should have been the end, but the agroforesters pushed on and searched for a new warehouse.

Two months later they had signed a lease and it looked as though Fair Wood had a new home.

But it was not to be - the new warehouse owner came back asking the agroforesters for more money, a bigger bond and new lease conditions.

Appalled at his behaviour, they walked away.

After six months of trying and with no time to find another location the deal fell through and CERES began the process of winding up.

Over eight years Fair Wood has brought timber from agroforesters and small sawmills and sold it to green builders, woodworkers, landscapers and DIYers across Australia.

It's also trained refugees in carpentry skills, salvaged urban trees from road and rail projects and built beautiful decks, furniture and planter boxes.

For the next three weeks Fair Wood will be clearing out its timber stock and equipment.

Everything is on sale for half price*. 

Here are some of the bigger sale items:

500+ lineal metres of kiln dried and dressed 190x38mm, 185x35mm, 175x30mm and 140x40mm in manna, messmate and yellow gum, from trees salvaged after the 2021 storm event.  Sale price @ $12-$20 per lm

300 lineal metres of dressed 100x25mm English elm Sale price @ $12.50 per lm

100-200 lineal metres of dressed 185x19mm macrocarpa  Sale price @ $9 per lm

50 rough sawn macrocarpa posts, 100x100mm x 3m  Sale price @ $11 per lm

1000 lineal metres of 150x25mm rough sawn macrocarpa boards - perfect for board and batten cladding or fences. Sale price @ $4 per lm

Eight live-edge slabs in blackwood, elm and shining gum Sale price @ $300-$400 each

A large range of dressed joinery timbers at half the marked price.

2 planter boxes made with recycled Australian hardwoods with mixed dimensions 

1m x 1m x 60cm veggie bed made with macrocarpa cypress recycled from the NGV Sale price @$150

Dog kennel made from recycled Australian hardwoods Sale price @ $100

20 cages of firewood (approx 1 cubic metre) $275 each* - plus delivery

A solar timber kiln, forklift, panel saw, pallet racking, work benches, various tools and hardware also for sale

We're open to negotiation and reasonable offers will be considered.

Finally, a huge thank you to all the tree growers, sawmillers and profilers who supplied and processed their farm-grown and salvaged timber, to all our wonderful customers who used Fair Wood to build everything from chopping boards to whole houses and particularly to our staff who have given so much and believed that knowing where our timber comes from is as important as what you build with it.

Please share this and come and make the most of this beautiful timber we have had the privilege and pleasure to sell.

Have a great week

Chris Ennis 

*All items except firewood which is $275 per cage plus delivery