Wood utilization

Survey coming for secondary wood manufacturers

Posted on by Kirsten Held

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources – Division of Forestry and University of Wisconsin-Wood Products Extension will be conducting a survey with Wisconsin’s secondary wood products manufacturers. This survey will be used to update the Wisconsin Wood Users Industry Directory.  The directory, last updated in 2009, is not currently available, but we plan to have the updated version online at our forestry products section of the DNR website.

The goals of this survey are to determine the impact of the secondary wood industry on Wisconsin’s economy, update the Wisconsin Wood Using Industry Directory, determine residue availability, and develop an understanding of educational and training needs for the success of your business.

If you are a secondary wood manufacturer, please be on the lookout for a survey to arrive in the mail over the next few weeks. If you do not receive a survey and would like to be part of the directory, please contact Scott Lyon at scott.lyon@wisconsin.gov or (920) 360-3722.

Written by Forest Products Specialist Scott Lyon

Showcasing Black History Month through urban wood utilization

Posted on by Ellen Clark

If you’re near Wauwatosa, stop by and check out this urban wood art exhibit – Fresh Perspective Art Collective’s 2nd Annual “Urban Heroes, Urban Wood” Black History Month Show. Notable Black Milwaukeeans have painted and drawn on salvaged wood from Milwaukee’s ash trees.  The exhibition runs from February 16 – March 16. For more information check out https://www.artsinmilwaukee.org/events/urban-heroes-urban-wood-2005.

 

For more information contact Ellen Clark, Urban Forestry Communication Specialist at (EllenA.Clark@wisconsin.gov) 608-267-2774.

 

Making room for sustainable sourcing

Posted on by Ellen Clark

By Dwayne Sperber, owner, Wudeward Urban Forest Products and appointed member, Wisconsin Urban Forestry Council

When a company has publicly committed to corporate social responsibility, environmental conservation, or working with and through the local community, a new construction project is the time to put these philosophies into action. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done.

Designs may get drawn up with the best sustainably-minded intentions — locally-sourced, low emissions, recycled, reused, energy efficient, the list goes on. But as familiar as the design and construction industries are with using environmentally-friendly materials, most of these products do not come in standard sizes, colors or volumes. And they don’t always fit seamlessly into a standard construction management process. Continue reading “Making room for sustainable sourcing” →

Wood construction seminar was a success

Posted on by Kirsten Held

On September 20 , 2017, the Forest Products Services Program, in partnership with Forest Stewards Guild, American Institute of Architects, Structural Engineers Association, and the Wisconsin Wood Marketing Team (USDA Forest Service), organized and hosted an educational seminar titled, “Wood-Based Construction – Mass Timber and Beyond.”

Approximately seventy people attended the event including architects, structural and civil engineers, forest products industry representatives, and researchers. Architects and engineers were targeted for this seminar due to their role in planning, designing, reviewing construction projects, and using of building materials (e.g. wood and mass timber products).

Continue reading “Wood construction seminar was a success” →

Hoppe Tree Service partners with Brown Deer High School to utilize urban wood

Posted on by Ellen Clark

This fall semester, students at Brown Deer High School won’t have to worry about whether or not they have enough lumber supplies and project ideas to perform during their Industrial Arts Wood Shop classes. This is thanks to a partnership between the school and Hoppe Tree Service.   The partnership centers around the concept of using locally sourced urban wood from Hoppe Tree Service’s Urban Wood Lab Store.  The agreement not only provides lumber for the school, but also allows the student’s non-profit “business” to earn money by processing wood and creating crafts that Hoppe’s Urban Wood Lab Store can then sell to consumers. Continue reading “Hoppe Tree Service partners with Brown Deer High School to utilize urban wood” →

Menomonie re-uses ash trees

Posted on by Ellen Clark

Every year, Urban Forestry grants provide assistance to communities throughout Wisconsin, and can be awarded to cities, villages, towns, counties, tribes and nonprofit organizations. This year, the city of Menomonie received a $9,000 grant to help pre-emptively remove ash trees in the city parks to prevent the spread of emerald ash borer, a pest spreading throughout Wisconsin. Thirty trees will be removed and replaced with hackberry, honeylocust, Kentucky coffeetree, swamp white oak, Redmond linden and Princeton elm. Continue reading “Menomonie re-uses ash trees” →

Urban wood used in local art exhibit

Posted on by Ellen Clark

The cabinets in your kitchen, your dining room table, floors in your office, and even the paper you write on are all products made from wood. Usually rural wood is used to make the products, but over the past several years a shift has been made, introducing the use of wood from urban areas to make these, and other, products. For example, urban wood has successfully been used in architecture, creating bowls, staircases, tables and now art. Continue reading “Urban wood used in local art exhibit” →

Wisconsin Urban Wood signs Green Tier Charter

Posted on by Ellen Clark

Twink Jan-McMahon and JD Smith signing the charter.

On a Friday in late April Wisconsin Urban Wood celebrated signing a Green Tier Charter. WUW is a network of independent business and nonprofit organizations that promotes the utilization of urban wood. The WUW Charter will provide increased value to Wisconsin by augmenting their current work and increasing collaboration. View the full press release.