Bill Haywood, Janesville, Iowa
Born and raised in Iowa, Bill worked 10 years as a County Conservation Board Forester. He then chose self-employment as a forestry contractor with private landowners (Forest Improvement Services). His work took him across the state from the upper Mississippi to the Missouri/Big Sioux Rivers. He worked with landowners to preserve their woodland for future generations - choosing to either plant and grow new a woodland, or renew the present woodland that had degraded. Beginning with a timber management plan, his work entailed crop tree selection and release, sustainable logging, and tree planting. Throughout his career, he planted over two million tree seedlings in Iowa.
This vocational journey left him with a deep appreciation for the natural communities that once competed for possession of the territory. While conducting sustainable logging, he took a different look at tree forks that were rejected by lumber mills and discarded into waste piles. He envisioned creating beautiful wood flats from the wood that would otherwise be burned or rot in the woods. Knowing this wood held intense character and beauty, he decided to salvage the forks and find a way to transform these into functional pieces for the home.
He retired in 2016 and carried out his vision to preserve the wood and make beautiful tables and accessories. Thus, Natural Flats - where flats are "art with a purpose".
In 2014, Bill was bestowed the Frudden Award by the Iowa Society of American Foresters for his significant contributions to the forestry profession over the course of his career. Bill and his wife, Wahneta, live in rural Janesville, Iowa, where they raised six daughters.
"Mother Nature is the artist providing the pattern, color and grain design. I work with each piece to create a durable, beautiful and functional heirloom for your home". Bill Haywood
This vocational journey left him with a deep appreciation for the natural communities that once competed for possession of the territory. While conducting sustainable logging, he took a different look at tree forks that were rejected by lumber mills and discarded into waste piles. He envisioned creating beautiful wood flats from the wood that would otherwise be burned or rot in the woods. Knowing this wood held intense character and beauty, he decided to salvage the forks and find a way to transform these into functional pieces for the home.
He retired in 2016 and carried out his vision to preserve the wood and make beautiful tables and accessories. Thus, Natural Flats - where flats are "art with a purpose".
In 2014, Bill was bestowed the Frudden Award by the Iowa Society of American Foresters for his significant contributions to the forestry profession over the course of his career. Bill and his wife, Wahneta, live in rural Janesville, Iowa, where they raised six daughters.
"Mother Nature is the artist providing the pattern, color and grain design. I work with each piece to create a durable, beautiful and functional heirloom for your home". Bill Haywood