From Tree to barrel 2023

My name is Hilary and I’m from London, England. Welcome to my first blog for Wilhelm Eder.

I have just started working for the company and in my first week, I had the opportunity to take part in this fascinating seminar. It was an amazing experience. I saw and learnt so much – about the German forests, how the company chooses the timber and processes it, how important sustainability is to Eder.
I hope you enjoy coming along with me on my journey of discovery from the tree to the barrel.

Trees are so similar to people. This wasn’t what I had expected to think in the Palatinate Forest, a place I had often hiked in, but today was different. Braving the cold, there I was, a new girl on the block, in Johaniskreuz with about 50 clients to learn more about the oak. It was the first day of a 2-day seminar run by Wilhelm Eder, `From the tree to the barrel`. Both days were a lovely mix of education and socialising.

Everyone was in a good mood as we got on the bus in the Wurstmarkt Platz. It was the first seminar since covid. There were about 50 clients from the wine and whiskey industry, and fruit distilleries. Once on the bus, everyone started talking, exchanging ideas and information – this continued over the whole two days. The advantage of having a real get-together.

We drove through the Isenach Valley, an area rich in history. Ralf Messing introduced himself and his colleagues and then, with a lot of humour, gave an outline of the whole seminar. What do they actually have here in the Palatinate – hills or mountains? I have often asked myself this question. Mr Messing explained, it depends on where you come from. People in the Palatinate call them mountains in contrast to those people who live in the Alps!

Markus Eder gave a very interesting talk about the history of the area. It became clear why he had founded his own sawmill. In former times, the forest and the timber were important for the poor people as they had sold a lot of logs. In the last few years however, there were only about two to three sawmills left in the area. They were not able to process the amounts required by the Eder family. Now he has the flexibility he needs.

An hour later we arrived at Johaniskreuz. As is often the case this high up, there was a light scattering of snow everywhere, although it was green in the valley. By the Albrechtshain timber yard, we were welcomed by Mr Niklas Tappmeyer, Head of the Kaiserslautern Forestry Office, and Ms Jana Sigmund, Sales Control and Process Development Officer, Landesforsten Rheinland-Pfalz. They were both very knowledgeable and were passionate about their work. They both spoke with insight and humour about the forest and their work.

About 60 oak logs lay on the ground in front of us which would soon be bought by interested parties. I was sad to see so many felled trees on the ground, but I knew that the ones bought by Eder would be well respected and well used. The logs were all numbered, and each number would always stay with the log, no matter how the timber was used. “How old are these logs?” Niklas Tappmeyer asked us. Typically, our guesses were much too low. The logs were actually between 280 and 320 years old. The oak tree must be at least 160 years old before it is cut down.

Many generations of foresters have cared for the oaks which have lived through so much history. Napoleon and his men could have seen these trees on their retreat from Waterloo. How wonderful it would be if these trees were able to speak. What tales they could have told.

I now look at the forest in a new way. I didn’t realise how much work is involved. One often thinks that government officials are not very human but here in the forest, it’s another story. Mr Tappmeyer explained to us that it is his job to make sure that the oaks and other trees will be there for generations to come. He and his colleagues are totally focused on looking after the forest and the trees. They are but custodians of the forest.

Today I was surprised to think how similar trees are to humans. Tolkien had definitely had a good understanding of the forest and trees and appreciated them.

We can both be imperfect – large pores (large pores are never desired), spots, knots and limbs which do not always grow straight as the tree grows towards the light. Trees also have veins, called vascular rays, and the tree uses them to take water and nutrients out of the soil. In the wood they look like faint lines. We both have illnesses. Did you know that a tree can also get cancer? Oaks shouldn’t grow too fast because the density of the wood increases the slower the tree grows and therefore the harder the wood. Oaks normally need such a long time to grow that it is impossible to know what the inside of the tree looks like until it is felled. More and more secrets are revealed as it is sawn up – they could include bullets from one of the many battles in the area, because the tree grows around them, or blemishes. Doctors need x-rays and blood tests to “see” what is going on inside us. That’s not possible for a tree.

Mr Tappmeyer‘s talk about the future developments of the forest was very interesting and positive. It is hard to believe that it was only after WWII that there was a woman pictured on a German coin. But what kind of tree did she plant? An oak! The oak has been the national tree of Germany since the 19th century.

Why do we need the oak?

It is important that as many oaks as possible grow in the forest but in reality, this isn’t so easy. Only about 10% of oak seedlings reach maturity, so the first 20 years for the oak are the most important. The oak has a lot of competition from mice, insects, other animals and surprisingly other trees. How come? The oak and the beech like to grow together, but they have different needs – the oak needs light and the beech shade. Their relationship is more positive early on because the beech grows quicker than the oak and this encourages the oak to grow slender and straight. Exactly what is needed. Bit by bit the foresters remove more of the beech trees, so the oaks have more room to grow. They then sell the beech timber – nothing in the forest is wasted. The oak is home to many insects, animals, fungi and plants and no other tree type offers them such a home.

The subject of climate change is huge these days. We already know how much warmer the summer months have become but the oak is one of the trees for the future, because it can cope with the dryness better than many other tree types.

Storing CO2 is also topical nowadays. Politicians and scientist are always speaking about it. All trees store CO2 and it is hard to believe that trees retain their CO2 even when the timber is sawn up and made into useful products. The CO2 is only released when the wood rots or is burnt. This is so positive for the environment
.
The next day, Jonas Eder measured a log in the sawmill. How much CO2 is there in a log with a 2 metre circumference? Can you guess? I guessed wrong too. A massive 6,5 tonnes which is the equivalent to a flight from Frankfurt to Australia!

The bidding process. Ms Jana Sigmund explained to us how this process works. We saw a map of the forest detailing the various owner groups who can sell timber. In September the decision is made how much timber will be sold and then everyone who is interested, is sent the details. The bidding process is a closed one, ie. the bidders have no idea what the others are bidding. The experienced ones have a good idea what the prices were like the previous year, but timber prices have rocketed since covid. As oak timber is so valuable, there is a lot of competition from other sectors of the industry which have varying requirements, such as timber for furniture, veneers and packaging. The firm, Eder, has a very specific list of requirements for its production. Bad timber makes a bad barrel. Markus Eder says that it is like a game of chess. It takes a lot of experience to judge which tree might be the right one for making barrels. Patience, waiting and making reasonable bids is key. After all, he has to spend a lot of money on logs every year. Until the wood is made into new barrels, the capital is tied up. A huge task.

Jonas Eder showed us what kind of logs Eder looks for. Eder build barrels from between 5 to 25,000 litres, so it is important to select the right logs for each size. For example, the logs must be long enough for the different sized staves and not be bent. It’s sods law that you think you have bought the perfect log until you see the inside…..!

On day 2 we were divided into four groups and each group was named after a tree. We explored the different sections of the Eder firm in our groups. Everything we had learnt in the forest was reinforced on day two. Firstly, there was a row of logs to look at. Jonas Eder had already marked them up in red to maximise the number of lengths that could be got out of them. We all watched as the logs were sawn up. As we had learnt on the previous day, there were some surprises as there were some blemishes which could not be seen from the outside. This subject continued in the sawmill. There they have to re-assess every decision after each cut, because it could be that the middle of the log reveals even more blemishes. Fresh wood is very wet and so it must be seasoned for two to three years. Before the timber can be used, a moisture meter is used to measure its moisture content. It is vitally important that the timber is dry enough.

How do you make a barrel? First of all, you need a great deal of patience and knowledge. Eder has both in spades. The process is fascinating and it’s amazing to think that today’s barrel dates back to the Middle Ages. The barrel shape has certainly stood the test of time!

To begin with, they must select the wood. They have to make sure that the vascular rays lie horizontally and the annual rings are upright to ensure a straight barrel stave. Otherwise the wine could drip out. The opposite of what one needs! Then they begin to build the barrel. The wood is joined together and they use a V-joint and a triangular joint to shape each stave and ensure they fit well together. Then the staves are placed in the hoop and then hoops are hammered into place on one side. This vertical structure is called the barrel rose. No matter the weather, the barrel is taken outside and is heated from the inside. We saw a small fire burning in the middle of the barrel which warms the staves up on the inside. It looked so dangerous. Definitely not something one would try at home! The outside of the barrel is kept damp so that the staves don’t break when they are bent. The whole process can last one to five hours depending on how big the barrel is. A great deal of experience is needed as well as a lot of patience.

When the staves have been bent to the desired barrel shape, the barrel rings are hammered into place on both sides of the barrel. The barrel is then toasted and the flavour later becomes noticeable in the barrel. There are four levels of toasting from Medium to Char 4. The client can choose from a variety of flavours – high spice to caramel to vanilla. During toasting, the heat breaks down the wood components, such as lignin, and flavour molecules including vanillin are produced.

The warehouses are huge. Inside the temperature and the humidity have to be just right as they are so important for the barrels and furniture. There are rows and rows of barrels of varying sizes which are stacked about 10 rows high. Everyone could see the finished products and how they are stored before being shipped off to customers. A few clients even placed an order there and then! It makes such a difference to be able to see and touch the actual products. Everyone loved the rich colours of the new walnut barrel. There were a few used barrels laid out so we could smell the inside of the barrels which had previously contained whisky, sherry or wine. The smell from each barrel was still really rich and strong. So amazing. We were told that new barrels don’t smell but one client pointed out that a new walnut barrel did have a smell – of walnut oil!

I have never seen how laser branding works. Like many things, it looked so simple but that isn’t true. You need a black & white design for the computer. As the laser started, I thought that its flame looked like Tinkerbell, the fairy from Peter Pan. At the end of the process, the desired design was burnt into the wood. I was surprised to discover it felt slightly rough.

Used barrels are regularly returned. All barrels have to be checked over to decide which barrels can be re-used. The others, for example, which have worm holes or are too old to be used further as distillate barrels, are re-worked in the carpenter’s shop into pieces of furniture.

The clients were amazed by the carpentry section. The level of creativity is so high. Here they make old barrels into amazing pieces of furniture ranging from tables to benches to bookcases. It is unbelievable how new the wood looks afterwards. The colours of the wood are rich, the furniture smooth.

In the cooperage, we were shown how old barrels are restored. Worn staves are either restored or replaced. They do get worm holes or other small leaks but they are both easy to repair. They use a nail to enlarge the hole slightly and put in a dowel. They then use a special hammer to bang in the dowel and then cut off the end. The result – a smooth repair. We could then all have a go. Some clients were quite good! It is a pity that the traditional tools, which are used, are harder to find these days.

Then it was lunchtime which was so welcome. Now we had the chance to sit down and talk to the clients. We sat around four tables in the cooperage and were served delicious Palatinate food.

The last part of the seminar was more like a party! We had the chance to try four cocktails from Seiberts Bar in Cologne. They were all very different and so delicious. It was a fitting end to the two-day seminar. Mr Seibert and his barman gave a brilliant presentation. His video, showcasing his bar, got us into the party mood because the music used was 1920s jazz. It made you want to dance. He explained how he had built up his business and how creating cocktails is a never-ending progress. I could understand why he had so many loyal customers.

Mr Seibert has known the Eder company for over 20 years because he needs barrels to make his own Campari. For me it was a good example of a great business relationship.

The two days were suddenly over. My head was full of everything I had seen, experienced and learned. I needed time to digest it all. The atmosphere over the two days had always been so positive. The group of clients were always happy, had asked lots of questions and received many answers. I am very new to Eder, but I have already noticed this positive atmosphere in the office and in all the other sections. Everything comes from the boss down. The firm, Eder, treasures and respects its experienced and creative workforce who continuously pass on their knowledge to their apprentices. It was great to see so many experienced specialists and experts at work.

Already in the forest I had thought trees and people were very similar. Then the thought quickly followed how similar the trees are to the Ents in the Lord of the Rings. How similar Markus Eder is to Baumbart. Ok, they are not all the same age because there is no way Markus Eder could be as old as Baumbar (whom Tolkien describes as the oldest thing in Middle Earth…!) but they share a love of the forest and always give back to the forest. The whole ethos of Wilhelm Eder encompasses environmental protection, the regeneration of the forest and upcycling. No part the of the newly felled oak will be wasted, instead everything will be used and re-used.

The firm, Eder, invited clients so that they could see with their own eyes how much care, attention to detail and passion goes into every stage of production. During the two days, it was continuously emphasised that trees are a living thing and therefore we should have more respect for them which is what the firm, Eder, also has. They respect the tree, so they select them carefully, and when they have done so, they cut them up to the best of their ability to use every part of the tree, allow them to season for several years, make them into barrels, clean and regenerate the ones that are returned and send them back, or make furniture out of those barrels which can no longer be used as distillate barrels. They give the wood new life so they can carry on living. The oak, like all trees, doesn’t die when it is felled but continues to thrive and live. This is the reason we feel so good when we use wooden items like a wooden bathtub, for example, unlike a plastic or a tin bath, because the wood has life.

See you,