University says ‘use as much wood as you can’ in building new area!

October 18, 2017
Category: Today's Takeaway

Wood is top of mind for the US military. A cooperative of military and government groups are joining forces with Georgia Tech to design and build barracks for troops living overseas and they’re looking at CLT to create them. The University of Idaho is also thinking about wood, in fact, the design challenge for their new area is “use as much Idaho wood as possible“. In contrast, the Concrete Association is promoting a new study claiming lower insurance rates for multifamily buildings made from concrete rather than from wood-frame. 

It may be that forest fires have a silver lining (at least in one application) – combating sudden oak death. Although firefighters are cautious to wash any vehicle leaving quarantined areas, scientists are hopeful the fire may slow the spread of the disease. Hope is also on the minds of scientist in New Zealand who have recently completed the massive task of unlocking the genetic code for radiata pine. With this knowledge in hand, geneticists say “We could breed a whole range of different trees” and mitigate the effects of climate change. 

A final positive note for you today, David Lewis, president of Southern Forestry Consultants, says “forests can help improve our lives in Florida” and that research clearly shows “utilizing more wood generates more investments and more forests”. From cell phones to fuel, he calls for more wood fiber use – Hurrah!

Sandy McKellar — Tree Frog Editor

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