Forest Journalism for a Sustainable Future
Unplanned wildland fire is now the primary treatment method used on public lands in the Western United States, says the U.S. Forest Service’s recently retired deputy chief.
Jim Hubbard isn’t suggesting that is the best way to manage the nation’s forests, but it is the reality of what is happening and likely will continue happening for the foreseeable future. [Read more…]
If we truly understood that forests are infrastructure, we would invest in their maintenance and restoration as eagerly as we pay for irrigation canals and kitchen faucets and water lines, says Jonathan Kusel.
“We need to increase the investment in our water supply system, beginning with the watershed that is a critical part of that infrastructure,” said Kusel, who directs California’s Sierra Institute for Community and Environment. “That’s the part of the system that refills the water in our streams and groundwater.” [Read more…]
Into most every conversation, Jonathan Kusel works in a pitch for his three-legged stool of forest restoration – the “triple bottom line.”
“The longstanding conversation has centered around environment and jobs – and whether you could have both,” said Kusel, executive director of the Sierra Institute for Community and Environment. “But that’s an incredibly narrow framing of the conversation.” [Read more…]
The industry group reThink Wood has created an online research library (at http://research.rethinkwood.com/resource) to provide professionals and the public with information on tall wood buildings and the latest information on the advantages of using wood in the built environment.
In its launch announcement, reThink Wood said it wants to help educate architects, engineers, students, developers, industry professionals and other interested parties about the increasing interest in mass timber construction around the world.
The research library, unveiled at the March 27-30 Mass Timber Conference in Portland, Oregon, is one way to demonstrate the strength, stability and design flexibility of next-generation lumber technologies, the group believes.
The online site will be frequently updated with new research on wood building products and systems worldwide, but will also point out where research is lacking.
“The future of mass timber in the U.S. is really starting to heat up,” said Lucas Epp, head of engineering at StructureCraft. “In the next few years, there will be considerably more mass timber buildings built than we have today. The industry is starting to see that this type of construction is fast, cost effective and sustainable.”
According to reThink Wood: “Tall wood buildings are capturing the imagination of architects, engineers and developers, who see them as a way to lessen the carbon footprint of the built environment while demonstrating ingenuity and meeting the same standards for safety and performance as any building type.
“Heightened awareness of the environmental benefits of wood combined with advances in wood technology and manufacturing have aligned to make tall wood buildings not only possible but safe and cost effective.”
Every year, more mid-rise and tall wood structures are built using mass timber technologies, including cross-laminated timber (CLT), nail laminated timber (NLT) and glued laminated timber (glulam).
In announcing the new research library, reThink said wood buildings are durable and can be designed to last a lifetime.
As documented in the reThink Wood Research Library, “a growing body of research, real-life events and building code development continue to prove that mass timber structures can meet or exceed the most demanding design requirements.”
Nearly 800 professionals attended the 2017 Mass Timber Conference in Portland. reThink Wood and other industry professionals were there to discuss the latest mass timber technologies and how to increase the use of wood in mid-rise and tall buildings.
reThink Wood’s mission is “to provide information and educational resources on designing with wood in a variety of applications for building professionals.”
In addition to the research library, reThink Wood offers a continuing education course, Mass Timber in North America, with AIA and GBCI credits.
This new library is accessible to the public.
In addition, reThink Wood released three new videos during the Portland conference, with industry experts discussing how mass timber compares with other building materials in terms of seismic resilience, fire resistance and durability.
reThink Wood represents the North American softwood lumber industry in working to educate the public about the advantages of using wood in the built environment.
Learn more at reThinkWood.com.
National forest lands are home to some of the world’s largest living organisms, and the Smithsonian wants to help you visit and understand these biological wonders.
My go-see list includes the Pando Clone on the Fishlake National Forest in Utah, and it comes with an asterisk that says “in the fall when after the colors change.” [Read more…]