KENNEBEC JOURNAL • November 8, 2020
By day, Niles Krech and Steve Pracher are a criminal investigator and pharmacist, respectively. By night, they are the only people in Maine who produce urban live slab lumber. The idea to start Maine Urban Timber Co. came after the pair built a sawmill for fun. When they realized the size and the scope of the sawmill that they had made, Krech did some research and found urban live slab lumber was missing — and might have a market — in Maine. After a tree is cut, the normal method is to air dry the slabs. However, Maine Urban Timber Co.’s methods involve a vacuum kiln to remove moisture from the wood, reducing the drying process from about a year to a couple of weeks. One reason urban slab lumber has grown popular is the appeal of creating furniture from wood that has history — a story — and a unique look.