I work mainly in English hardwoods although some of my pieces
are made from exotic timber. Where I chose to use non-native
wood, I buy from suppliers who have reached or exceeded the
minimum standards for importing sustainable timber.
Many times I've stumbled across an interesting piece of wood
while out walking our dogs in Reigate. Some of these pieces
end up as small pots and vases. Generally, they're branches
trimmed by the local woodland manager, or trees which have fallen
and broken.
My preference is to use native woods: it's immensely satisfying
when people like a piece and I can tell them that the parent
tree is still standing in a local parklands. Most of the pots
will be made with a use in mind, even if they end up being used
for something else.