Thankfully, they have an ace up their sleeve: Forests.
Today, more than 50 percent of the world lives in a city. By 2050, that number is expected to climb to 70 percent.
As our cities continue to grow, so do the challenges they face: increased pollution and waste; increased demands on aging infrastructure; a growing need for affordable housing; a widening socio-economic gap; and a changing climate that sees the costs for clean air, water, and more continue to rise.
Cities have long been labs for innovation. So, while these challenges continue to stack and increase in complexity, they also represent one of the most compelling opportunities in a generation to reimagine the way society lives, works, and plays --moving our cities from climate problems, to climate solutions.
And thankfully, cities have an ace up their sleeve: forests.
Forests Have Solutions.
Built and run on solar energy, forests are home to the most technologically-advanced material and processes we have. They provide building materials, innovative compounds and components, essential products, renewable energy, and air and water filtration all in one convenient package.
As such, forests represent the most effective, scalable, and sustainable ‘technology’ we can employ as we rise to meet the challenges of a rapidly urbanizing population. Working in partnership with other renewables, bioenergy is helping us reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. Wood skyscrapers made from mass timber are reducing the use of carbon intensive materials in our buildings. And wood and fiber based packaging is increasingly replacing the use of plastics and other non-renewable materials in the products we rely on every day.
Forests hold solutions to some of the most pressing challenges facing society today. For our cities, that means cleaner air and water, less waste, fewer emissions, and a new skyline built from natural materials.
Michael Green: Architect of the Future.
Recognizing the opportunity [read: impending need] for these solutions in our cities, Michael Green is pushing the limits of sustainable architecture using mass timber to create beautiful, affordable, resilient, climate-positive buildings optimized for storing carbon. This is a climate game-changer for cities.
As one of the earliest and most prominent champions of mass timber architecture and forest solutions, Michael Green is working with some of the world’s most iconic brands, tech companies, and construction disruptors to bring these solutions to cities around the globe.
One building at a time, he’s working to reimagine our cities for the future.
Forests: Reimagining Our Cities.
The challenges presented by rapidly urbanizing populations are just a fraction of the increasingly complex challenges we face as a society. And mass timber is just one of those solutions. Like climate change, there is no silver-bullet -- however, there are few tools more powerful or better positioned to be implemented at scale than those solutions found in our forests.
If we embrace a bioeconomy that prioritizes natural, renewable, and sustainable alternatives for everything from the essential products we use day to day to how we power our lives, we have the potential to not only reimagine our cities, but rethink our climate future and build a lasting connection between society and the importance of taking care of our greatest natural resource: our forests.
Reimagining Our Cities
Mass Timber
Forest Champion Spotlight | Susan Jones
Susan Jones designed some of the first Mass Timber buildings in the U.S. - including her own home. Today, Susan and her team continue to pave the way for Mass Timber buildings in North America by showing the world that there is no reason a building can't also be a climate change solution.
Start-Up Whiteout Solutions Piloting Forest Inventory and Mapping Technology in Northeast Kingdom
Vermont’s first sawmill opened in 1738, nearly a century before the first chainsaw was invented, not to mention cars or telephones. And it was at least 150 years before that sawmill had electric lighting. Technological solutions have been slow in coming to the forest products industry, but a Northeast Kingdom start-up is hoping to change that.
Whiteout Solutions, based out of the DO NORTH Coworking Space in Lyndonville, Vermont, has developed a new forest mapping technology using LIDAR sensors attached to drones. According to co-founder Matt Clark, their system hits a sweet spot between manual surveying and LIDAR sensing on airplanes, providing highly detailed, digital information in real-time.
“Good data informs good decision-making,” said Clark, who ultimately envisions a statewide digital forest database. “Our technology captures detailed data about a forest, including tree species, diameter, understory characteristics, wetland locations, and emerging forest health issues—information that can be used for multiple scenarios.”
Clark and co-founder Christine Heinrich believe that data can be used to inform important decisions about Vermont’s most prized natural resource: its forested landscape. A real-time digital inventory could help inform everything from the timing of a timber harvest to quantifying carbon sequestration. The company is also working on a pilot program in Burke to inventory roadside ash trees, as town planners prepare for the arrival of the Emerald Ash Borer.
“Advancements in forest inventory, specifically the measurement of trees and characterization of forest stocking, has not made any great strides since the early 1950s,” said Calendonia/Essex county forester Matt Langlais, “and still requires individual trees to be measured by a forester on site. While I don’t see this technology replacing the work of foresters, I do see it empowering us with better information and ultimately better decision making capabilities.”
Age-Old Problems, New Technologies
With backgrounds in Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping and software development, Clark and his business partner, Christine Heinrich, founded Whiteout Solutions with the goal of “solving age-old problems with new technologies.” The pair worked closely with 911 in the early 2000s as landlines were replaced with cell phones. “People still assumed that a 911 operator would know their location when they called,” said Heinrich, “so we had to build a solution for that transition.”
Christine Heinrich and Matt Clark founded Whiteout Solutions at their office in the DO NORTH Coworking Space in Lyndonville, VT. Photo by Erica Houskeeper.
Using what they had learned about mapping technology, Heinrich and Clark began talking with loggers and foresters in the Northeast Kingdom where they live and quickly realized that a similar solution could have applicability for the forest industry.
“Building an accurate forest model is very labor intensive,” said Clark. “Foresters are essentially gathering information visually and recording data manually on a sample set of maybe 10 to 30 percent of a parcel and then making assumptions about the remaining 70 percent. The only other technology previously available was a sensor attached to an airplane, which provides broad swaths of information from high altitude, and that tends to be cost-prohibitive for most landowners.”
Clark and Heinrich began building a new model from the ground up. They developed a remote sensing technology that could be used on slower, low-flying drones to capture detailed data on parcels anywhere from 50 to 5,000 acres. Then they set about creating a software that would instantly translate those data points into a 3D model of the parcel.
Christine Heinrich and Matt Clark, co-founders of Whiteout Solutions in Lyndonville, developed a new forest mapping technology using LIDAR sensors attached to drones. Photo by Erica Houskeeper.
“We can survey a 200-acre parcel in 30 minutes and capture 99% of the information available,” said Clark, “and we can do that for $5 to $15 per acre depending on the final reporting needed.” The kinds of data points they are able to collect include individual tree diameter and species, watershed runoff, slope and grade of the earth, whether the understory is made up of soft bedding, road, rock or wetland, and any evidence of disease.
“Once we have the data, we can run multiple scenarios to answer a wide variety of questions,” said Clark. “Is there a harvestable stand? What is the best location for a road in order to have the least impact on the environment? What is the real value of the land?”
A Tool for Foresters, Not a Replacement.
“It sounds cool. I want to use it,” said Mike Snyder, commissioner of Vermont Forests, Parks and Recreation. “In the tradition of technology allowing people to do their jobs better and faster, I’m all for it. However, there is no substitute for having a knowledgeable forester in the woods integrating all the variables. We don’t just identify vegetation as bird habitat, we stop and listen for the birds too.”
Clark and Heinrich are quick to agree. “The idea of using LIDAR sensors to assist with forest inventory is not new and was never intended to replace the work of professional foresters. We are simply making that tool more approachable, applicable and affordable.”
They point out that, currently, forest planning relies on manually recorded data submitted in static reports. Armed with LIDAR sensors attached to drones, and real-time 3D modeling, foresters are able to capture more data faster and use the reporting to support the ongoing, big picture goal of maintaining healthy and productive forests.
“Better data, better dialogue, better decisions,” said Snyder. “It’s one of our mantras at the department and I can definitely see applications for this kind of technology, as long as we remember that forests are diverse and dynamic, and reporting will always be more complete with human eyes on the ground.”
Case Study: Burke Emerald Ash Borer Inventory
Last fall, Langlais gave a presentation to the Town of Burke Conservation Commission on preparing for the Emerald Ash Borer. Municipalities are responsible for ensuring public safety within the public rights of way, and many Vermont roadways are lined with ash trees likely to become hazardous as disease sets in. The first step in planning and budgeting, Langlais informed the commissioners, is a roadside ash inventory. Traditionally, that kind of survey would be done by volunteers recording data tree by tree.
Clark, who was in the audience, offered to use Burke as a pilot project to conduct the inventory using their new technology, which was quickly accepted.
“Volunteer data collection is a tall order when you consider that Vermont has almost 16,000 miles of roads,” said Langlais. “A drone fitted with LIDAR, GPS and thermal imaging that can quickly determine which trees are in the town’s right of way, which are ash trees, and the diameters of those trees for budgeting removals offers a very efficient and effective means to cover that 16,000 miles, so I think Whiteout is definitely on to something that can have a big impact.”
Presently, less than 30 of Vermont’s 255 towns have done roadside ash tree inventories.
“There is technology to be applied in forests and some interesting problems to be solved,” said Clark. “Since we built this technology from scratch, we can custom create data collection to answer very specific questions.”
For more information about Whiteout Solutions, please visit www.whiteoutsolutions.com or call (800) 388-0935.
See original post and learn more about Vermont Forest Industry Network.
Original article by Christine McGowan, Forest Products Program Director at Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund.
Grain Surfboards has been crafting one-of-a-kind wooden surfboards from sustainably managed Maine forests since 2005. With an emphasis on quality and sincere commitment to sustainable practices, each board is made one at a time, by hand, to create a product that has a soul and tells a story.
Heroic strength. Unflappable bravery. A commitment to doing what’s right. Wearing a cape. This is what it takes to be a guardian.
Right?
The Emmerson family got started 70 years ago as a small sawmill operation in California. Today, their company Sierra Pacific Industries owns and manages over 2 million acres of forest across the West, employs 5,2000 people, and has donated over a million dollars a year for the last decade to community non-profit organizations and education scholarships.
Cape or no cape, the Emmerson family is showing the world that sustainable forest management means more than just planting trees. It’s about thinking beyond tomorrow and planning for the future. Not just the future of the land, but the future of these communities, and the future of the men and women who are the heartbeat of Sierra Pacific.
Swap spandex and super powers for guardianship spanning generations and you have true modern day guardians in the Emmerson Family and Sierra Pacific.
Reconnecting People and Forests
Careers, Products
The Crew
On its surface, forest products manufacturing looks very different than it did 100 years ago. But, behind the machines and the new technology is a group of skilled, dedicated, and hardworking individuals who make it all possible.
Careers, Cities, Forest Management, Forest Products, Innovation, Mass Timber, People
The Importance of Forests in Mitigating Climate Change
The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) is working with partners such as American Forests on important global issues such as climate change.
Forests and forest products capture almost 15% of our carbon emissions each year. Learn more about the importance of forests in mitigating climate change.
Fast Facts
Cities, Fast Facts, Forest Benefits, Forest Management, Urban Forests
Fast Facts | Carbon
When trees are turned into products, that carbon stays in those products and out of our atmosphere. By using forest products we are keeping forests as forests and helping fight climate change.
Careers, Cities, Forest Management, Innovation, Mass Timber, People, Products
The future of skyscrapers | Grist
This explainer video from Grist takes a look at CLT and the future of wooden skyscrapers
How much CO2 would a skyscraper save if a skyscraper was made of wood?
Wooden skyscrapers are already a thing in Europe and Canada. Now, they're slowing becoming more popular in the U.S. How do they work and what do they mean for the future of cities?
What is mass timber? It's a building material that's as strong as steel, lighter than concrete, fire resistant, and carbon friendly.
Our forests are home to the most technologically-advanced material and processes we have. Built and run on solar energy, they lock away carbon and provide light,strong,renewable materials.
Already, mass timber construction helps us build faster and more efficiently,while keepingcarbon locked away. Innovative wood and paper products – renewable, recyclable and biodegradable – helpstore carbon, reduce waste, and protect wildlife.
Reimagining Our Cities
Careers, Cities, Forest Management, Innovation, Mass Timber, People, Products
TedTalks | A Wooden Skyscraper?
“Wood is the material that I love most, and I’m going to tell you a story about wood.” Learn why architect Michael Green thinks we should build wooden skyscrapers in this Ted Talks video.
Did you know there are 122 ski areas in U.S. National Forests visited by 23 million people each year?
The main way that Americans now use their national forests and grasslands is for outdoor recreation, and skiing is by far the most popular winter use. There are 122 ski areas on the national forests, and they provide about 60 percent of the total capacity for downhill skiing in the United States. Downhill skiing and snowboarding is the second most popular primary use of the national forests—after hiking. About 16 percent of visitors come for downhill skiing and snowboarding.
All those visitors generate tremendous economic benefits. Ski areas on the National Forest System support about 64,000 full- and part-time jobs. Revenue from ski areas reached more than $45 million in 2016, contributing about $2.7 billion annually to the gross domestic product, (about a quarter of the total contribution of the National Forest System).
Forest management in National Forests helps keep our skiing trails accessible.
Want to know more? Check out this epic speech from Tom Tidwell, 17th Chief of the USDA Forest.
Reimagining Our Cities
Careers, Cities, Forest Management, Innovation, Mass Timber, People, Products
TedTalks | A Wooden Skyscraper?
“Wood is the material that I love most, and I’m going to tell you a story about wood.” Learn why architect Michael Green thinks we should build wooden skyscrapers in this Ted Talks video.
Cities, Fast Facts, Forest Benefits, Forest Management, Urban Forests
Fast Facts | Trees + Property Values
What's the easiest way to increase the value of your property? It might be as simple as planting a tree. Trees in yards and on streets have been shown to increase property values by as much as 15%. Go ahead - plant a tree.
Fast Facts
Cities, Fast Facts, Urban Forests
Fast Facts | Safer Driving
Studies show that trees along streets lead to safer driving. Just another way trees are helping us to reimagine our communities for the better.
Cities, Fast Facts, Forest Benefits, Forest Management, Urban Forests
Fast Facts | Trees + Transportation
How many trees do you need to offset your commute? Roughly one tree for every 2 gallons of gas.
Sustainable forests, and the renewable products from them, are helping us rethink our carbon future.
Community
Urban Forests
Healthy Trees, Healthy Lives
As research is being conducted and becoming available, findings reinforce what much of the urban forestry community already knows — that trees have a positive impact on human health.
Conservation, Fast Facts, Forest Management, Recreation, Wildlife
Fast Facts | Turkeys
In the 1930's there were roughly 30,000 turkeys in the U.S. Today, there are more than 7 million. Thanks to active forest management and conservation efforts by public and private landowners, wild turkey populations are flourishing. When we manage forests to be healthy, it's good for turkeys, and it's good for us.
