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Forest Journalism for a Sustainable Future

Beetles, mines threaten Montana capital’s forested watershed

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Almost five miles of wooden flumes and trestles, constructed by the Helena Water Works Company in the late 1800s, deliver drinking water from the Tenmile watershed to the city of Helena. Photo: U.S Forest Service

HELENA, Montana – Cooks crowd the kitchen to spice the pot known as the Tenmile Creek watershed on the Helena/Lewis and Clark National Forest.

The city of Helena, Montana’s capital, relies on the 53-square-mile Tenmile watershed as its main source of drinking water for about 30,000 people. The supply system includes almost five miles of wooden flumes and trestles, constructed by the Helena Water Works Company in the late 1800s and purchased by the city in 1911.  

Yet the 26,000-acre watershed has the dubious distinction of having the worst conditions of all the national forests and grasslands in Montana and portions of Idaho and the Dakotas, according to a 2011 report, based in part on historic mining and logging activity. [Read more…]

How can communities pay for forest restoration in critical watersheds?

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Aftermath of Schultz Fire -- As seen from Forest Road 420 heading toward Schultz Pass. Taken on 6/23/10 by Brady Smith. Credit: USDA Forest Service, Coconino National Forest.
Aftermath of Schultz Fire, as seen from Forest Road 420 heading toward Schultz Pass. Taken on 6/23/10 by Brady Smith. Credit: USDA Forest Service, Coconino National Forest.

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…]

Sierra Institute promotes triple bottom line of forest restoration

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Jonathan Kusel, Sierra Institute
Jonathan Kusel, Sierra Institute

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…]

New online library educates professionals, public about wood construction

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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.