Hi all,
Jim and I had our two minutes of fame yesterday on Channel 27 ABC news. See the clips below:
Locally Grown Homes
Local Lumber Law Interview
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Monday, April 20, 2009
An Ode to Local Wood
Mary Friedel-Hunt, publisher of Voice of the River Valley offered to print a short piece on local wood if I wrote one. Here's the first draft of that effort:
An Ode to Local Wood:
Some of the best hardwood timber in the world is growing right here in SW Wisconsin. Sauk and Iowa Counties alone grow over 40 million board feet of timber each year on some 400,000 acres of woodland. If we put that annual growth to use locally, we could build 3000 local wood-framed and finished houses each year.
What many folks don’t know is that harvesting trees actually promotes forest growth and health -- responsibly done it allows us to fast forward the natural process of selection that weeds out inferior trees and favors trees genetically suited for the conditions. In fact, with optimally managed timber, Sauk and Iowa Counties could quadruple their annual growth.
These days folks are talking and thinking a lot about carbon -- what is making more of it and what helps trap, or sequester it. Forestry, done right, is one of those processes which is fabulous at storing carbon in two really great and useful forms -- living trees, and dead trees put to use as wood products.
In today’s world, we find wood in our lives in quite a variety of different forms. Like the majority of our food, most of these forms are highly processed and unnatural. Most new furniture, for example, uses a thin skin of wood (or, worse, wood-like plastic) to cover panels of particle board -- essentially waste wood dust glued together into dense sheets.
Similar products are used to build our modern houses, where a variety of building materials are made of flakes or chips of wood glued together to form sheathing, structural beams, or stud framing.
While some would sing the technological praises of using waste wood glued together in these forms, I contend that we lose something when we replace natural products with artificial ones -- most importantly, our connection to the natural source from which they comes -- trees.
In some parts of the world, wood is scarce and its use should be correspondingly limited. But in one of the hardwood timber growing capitals of the world, where demand for local wood actually promotes responsible stewardship of our forests, it is a shame that we are sending our best timber overseas to have it shipped back to us in these cheap, and overly-processed forms.
Instead of letting a global and industrial mindset control our timber resources and our wood buying habits, let’s take control of our own valuable resource and manage, market , and use it here in our local economy. The advantages of this are manyfold: better sustainable management from increased visibility, reduced dependence on trans-national and international shipping, and the multiplying effect of keeping dollars in the local economy.
There are many of us working locally to create natural, beautiful, and durable objects and structures out of wood. From fine furniture, to cabinets and flooring, to timberframe or log home construction, or locally-sawn dimensional lumber, there are many ways to enjoy our most abundant local resource. Please put this wood to good use!
Alex
www.redbeardlumber.com
An Ode to Local Wood:
Some of the best hardwood timber in the world is growing right here in SW Wisconsin. Sauk and Iowa Counties alone grow over 40 million board feet of timber each year on some 400,000 acres of woodland. If we put that annual growth to use locally, we could build 3000 local wood-framed and finished houses each year.
What many folks don’t know is that harvesting trees actually promotes forest growth and health -- responsibly done it allows us to fast forward the natural process of selection that weeds out inferior trees and favors trees genetically suited for the conditions. In fact, with optimally managed timber, Sauk and Iowa Counties could quadruple their annual growth.
These days folks are talking and thinking a lot about carbon -- what is making more of it and what helps trap, or sequester it. Forestry, done right, is one of those processes which is fabulous at storing carbon in two really great and useful forms -- living trees, and dead trees put to use as wood products.
In today’s world, we find wood in our lives in quite a variety of different forms. Like the majority of our food, most of these forms are highly processed and unnatural. Most new furniture, for example, uses a thin skin of wood (or, worse, wood-like plastic) to cover panels of particle board -- essentially waste wood dust glued together into dense sheets.
Similar products are used to build our modern houses, where a variety of building materials are made of flakes or chips of wood glued together to form sheathing, structural beams, or stud framing.
While some would sing the technological praises of using waste wood glued together in these forms, I contend that we lose something when we replace natural products with artificial ones -- most importantly, our connection to the natural source from which they comes -- trees.
In some parts of the world, wood is scarce and its use should be correspondingly limited. But in one of the hardwood timber growing capitals of the world, where demand for local wood actually promotes responsible stewardship of our forests, it is a shame that we are sending our best timber overseas to have it shipped back to us in these cheap, and overly-processed forms.
Instead of letting a global and industrial mindset control our timber resources and our wood buying habits, let’s take control of our own valuable resource and manage, market , and use it here in our local economy. The advantages of this are manyfold: better sustainable management from increased visibility, reduced dependence on trans-national and international shipping, and the multiplying effect of keeping dollars in the local economy.
There are many of us working locally to create natural, beautiful, and durable objects and structures out of wood. From fine furniture, to cabinets and flooring, to timberframe or log home construction, or locally-sawn dimensional lumber, there are many ways to enjoy our most abundant local resource. Please put this wood to good use!
Alex
www.redbeardlumber.com
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Wisconsin Local-Use Dimension Lumber Grading Course
Hi folks,
Jim and I traveled up to Stevens Point today to attend the first Wisconsin Local-Use Dimension Lumber Grading Certification Program offered as part of the 2007 Wisconsin Act 208. Basically, 20 or so of us small sawyers from around the state learned how to apply the new Local-Use grading standards to dimensional lumber. The new grading system corresponds closely to industrial lumber grading standards, but is specific for locally-sawn lumber. This new standard allows small sawmills to sell lumber used in homes directly to the homeowner or their builder.
This was the first course offered and it filled up the day it was first announced. Monthly classes through September are already booked - there is obviously a big demand for this service!
Terry Mace of the DNR and Bob Govett of UW - Stevens Point College of Natural Resources authored the new grading standards and were our instructors today. Our one-day training covered the ins and outs of the standards and the new law in the morning, some hands-on grading practice after lunch, and we completed a test at the end to receive our certificates allowing us to start sawing construction lumber for residential use.
Now that we are certified, our next step is to figure out how to compete with the incredibly cheap subsidized lumber coming from Canadian clear-cuts. We've got some ideas - including sawing the lumber to use in homes we build ourselves or furnish other wood for, so we too can subsidize our dimensional sawing costs.
Long-term, Jim and I and the Green Squared Builders group are thinking of ways to establish a larger business in the Spring Green area that could potentially utilize School Forest or Pineland pine timber to efficiently produce local construction lumber. We will see how this idea evolves -- any input would be very welcome.
All for now,
Alex
www.redbeardlumber.com
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Local lumber is agriculture!
Big success at the County Zoning and Planning Committee last night. Dean Swenson and I proposed our thoughts to the Committee last night that small scale wood and sawmill operations are a form of agriculture, and that milling, drying, and selling it is just like any other agricultural practice. Our view prevailed overwhelmingly and the Committee voted to make an official statement recognizing such use as agriculture. Practically, that means we are in business with our solar kiln that got approved -- we've been able to build it, but now we are able to actually sell the wood coming out of it! Dean is back in business too, and won't need to rezone either. Phew - that's an old-time farmer I wouldn't want to cross.
The next step is to discuss how to broaden the zoning ordinance carefully in such a way as to allow for and encourage small, land and home based businesses in general. Scott Godfrey, the County's top zoning official, is working on a provision allowing for major and minor home occupations on Ag, Ag residenttial, and residential properties with minor home businesses being considered a principal permitted use, and major home occupations (including light manufacture, etc) to be conditional uses. This discussion will likely continue over the next several meetings. I certainly want to participate in this discussion, to ensure that whatever provision gets passed is general enough as to be useable, and not burdensome. Anyone interested in participating as well should block off their 3d Wednesdays of the month and head over to the Dodgeville Courthouse.
All in all, I was extremely pleased with the Planning and Zoning Committee in general -- they seemed to really "get" the need for small, rural businesses to be allowed and indeed, encouraged. Naturally, they want to ensure that adequate protection is in place to prevent abuse. Nevertheless, things seem well on track for Iowa County to lead the way in providing for and encouraging rural entre- and eco- preneurs.
Alex
www.redbeardlumber.com
The next step is to discuss how to broaden the zoning ordinance carefully in such a way as to allow for and encourage small, land and home based businesses in general. Scott Godfrey, the County's top zoning official, is working on a provision allowing for major and minor home occupations on Ag, Ag residenttial, and residential properties with minor home businesses being considered a principal permitted use, and major home occupations (including light manufacture, etc) to be conditional uses. This discussion will likely continue over the next several meetings. I certainly want to participate in this discussion, to ensure that whatever provision gets passed is general enough as to be useable, and not burdensome. Anyone interested in participating as well should block off their 3d Wednesdays of the month and head over to the Dodgeville Courthouse.
All in all, I was extremely pleased with the Planning and Zoning Committee in general -- they seemed to really "get" the need for small, rural businesses to be allowed and indeed, encouraged. Naturally, they want to ensure that adequate protection is in place to prevent abuse. Nevertheless, things seem well on track for Iowa County to lead the way in providing for and encouraging rural entre- and eco- preneurs.
Alex
www.redbeardlumber.com
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Spring Green Live, Use, Buy Local Resource Show
Hi all,
For my first ever blog I'm going to report on our Green Squared Builders Association event held yesterday in Spring Green. Click here for photos from the event.
The weather was perfect for an outside demonstration at the School Forest on Hwy 14 and Coon Rock Rd. in Arena. Senator Schultz and Representative Hilgenberg showed up along with interested people in the public to learn more about the low-impact logging and sawmilling we've been promoting.
Jim cut one white pine with precision "arthroscopic" accuracy, felling his tree without so much as hitting a branch on a neighboring tree. That gave us three 12' logs for the mill. Dave and Bryan used the log arches to forward them the 20' to the mill, and I sawed up 2x8's, 2x4's and 1" planks.
We used all this to make a 3'x12' solar kiln panel -- one of a few the high school will use to dry pine lumber for use in the school Tech Ed class. For a little background, we have been working with Superintendent Jamie Benson over the last year to put the School Forest tract of red and white pine timber to use for the school. This pine forest was planted around 70 years ago by students, but has not been utilized much since. Much of the forest is in decline, and in need of a thinning harvest.
One goal of our group has been to change that, so we worked with Jamie Benson to set in motion a project where the school could use the timber in their Tech Ed classes. Last spring we harvested around 30 dead or dying red pines and sawmilled two sides flat making cants to be used to build a log cabin. Jamie Licht led his Tech Ed class students in building the cabin (see photos of the construction process) and we put it up for auction yesterday at the Show. Bids will be taken through this week. Contact Jim@timbergrowers.com if you are interested in bidding.
Schultz and Hilgenberg were impressed, and luckily Channel 27 and Channel 3 showed up in time to catch some footage of the sawmilling, the cabin, and our press conference. Here is Channel 27's article and video. Here is Channel 3's webpage writeup.
Much of the press conference focused on the passing of new State legislation this year that allows homeowners to source locally grown and milled dimensional lumber for their new homes. At the end of this month Jim and I will be among the first class of sawyers becoming certified to grade our own lumber for construction use. It will be hard to compete on price with construction lumber coming from the West Coast, but we will get creative and see what we can do. I read a statistic yesterday that the average 1800 sq. ft home uses about an acre's worth of clearcut out west. That really motivates me to saw dimensional lumber here! Luckily, the new law is quite flexible and it allows the use of rough-sawn and even green (not kiln dried) lumber for use as studs, joists, and the like.
Schultz and Hilgenberg both stressed the importance of utilizing our local timber both for its environmental benefits, but also for our local economy. We also discussed the need for local zoning ordinances to be updated to allow for our new generation of ultra-small scale sawmill businesses (and other small businesses in the ecopreneuring segment), an issue Jim and I have both been involved with lately in Sauk and Iowa Counties respectively.
Following our woods demo, we connected with the rest of the Green Squared group back at the Community Church in Spring Green where about 20 or so local-area sustainable vendors had set up booths in the church gym.
Andrew Kerr gave a rousing keynote address urging all of us think of buying local as an environmental, political, economic, and even religious act. Afterwards we told the story of the school log cabin projects and heard from two students who had worked on the project. Then we went outside and constructed the solar kiln panel from our fresh-sawn lumber and explained the principles of solar drying.
Among other presentations in the afternoon, Bryan Butteris and I gave a talk on the various possibilities for using your own or local wood in remodeling or construction. We each showed photos of projects where we had used folks' own timber to make flooring, cabinetry, timber frames, stairs, etc. More and more we are finding people who find real satisfaction in using their own hardwood lumber to produce top quality woodworking in their homes. (Click here to see the photos I used in my slideshow.)
Mark Olson of Renaissance Farms, filled us in on a new development in the Spring Green area local foods movement. Working with Rick Terrien of the Iowa County Economic Development Corporation, Mark is in the planning stages of a regional fresh and frozen chopped vegetable packaging plant that may be based in a 11,000 sq. ft former beer distributorship in Highland. A plant of this scale would use local produce and freeze and package it for use in institutions such as the university cafeteria's, schools, and prisons. School Superintendent Jamie Benson expressed interest in getting the school district to work with Mark in bringing the food to River Valley schools.
All in all, our first Live, Use, Buy Local Resource Show went off remarkably well. Many thanks to our group members who worked hard to coordinate this, as well as our guest speakers, booth vendors, and the Community Church for hosting us.
Photos from yesterday.
Alex
www.redbeardlumber.com
For my first ever blog I'm going to report on our Green Squared Builders Association event held yesterday in Spring Green. Click here for photos from the event.
The weather was perfect for an outside demonstration at the School Forest on Hwy 14 and Coon Rock Rd. in Arena. Senator Schultz and Representative Hilgenberg showed up along with interested people in the public to learn more about the low-impact logging and sawmilling we've been promoting.
Jim cut one white pine with precision "arthroscopic" accuracy, felling his tree without so much as hitting a branch on a neighboring tree. That gave us three 12' logs for the mill. Dave and Bryan used the log arches to forward them the 20' to the mill, and I sawed up 2x8's, 2x4's and 1" planks.
We used all this to make a 3'x12' solar kiln panel -- one of a few the high school will use to dry pine lumber for use in the school Tech Ed class. For a little background, we have been working with Superintendent Jamie Benson over the last year to put the School Forest tract of red and white pine timber to use for the school. This pine forest was planted around 70 years ago by students, but has not been utilized much since. Much of the forest is in decline, and in need of a thinning harvest.
One goal of our group has been to change that, so we worked with Jamie Benson to set in motion a project where the school could use the timber in their Tech Ed classes. Last spring we harvested around 30 dead or dying red pines and sawmilled two sides flat making cants to be used to build a log cabin. Jamie Licht led his Tech Ed class students in building the cabin (see photos of the construction process) and we put it up for auction yesterday at the Show. Bids will be taken through this week. Contact Jim@timbergrowers.com if you are interested in bidding.
Schultz and Hilgenberg were impressed, and luckily Channel 27 and Channel 3 showed up in time to catch some footage of the sawmilling, the cabin, and our press conference. Here is Channel 27's article and video. Here is Channel 3's webpage writeup.
Much of the press conference focused on the passing of new State legislation this year that allows homeowners to source locally grown and milled dimensional lumber for their new homes. At the end of this month Jim and I will be among the first class of sawyers becoming certified to grade our own lumber for construction use. It will be hard to compete on price with construction lumber coming from the West Coast, but we will get creative and see what we can do. I read a statistic yesterday that the average 1800 sq. ft home uses about an acre's worth of clearcut out west. That really motivates me to saw dimensional lumber here! Luckily, the new law is quite flexible and it allows the use of rough-sawn and even green (not kiln dried) lumber for use as studs, joists, and the like.
Schultz and Hilgenberg both stressed the importance of utilizing our local timber both for its environmental benefits, but also for our local economy. We also discussed the need for local zoning ordinances to be updated to allow for our new generation of ultra-small scale sawmill businesses (and other small businesses in the ecopreneuring segment), an issue Jim and I have both been involved with lately in Sauk and Iowa Counties respectively.
Following our woods demo, we connected with the rest of the Green Squared group back at the Community Church in Spring Green where about 20 or so local-area sustainable vendors had set up booths in the church gym.
Andrew Kerr gave a rousing keynote address urging all of us think of buying local as an environmental, political, economic, and even religious act. Afterwards we told the story of the school log cabin projects and heard from two students who had worked on the project. Then we went outside and constructed the solar kiln panel from our fresh-sawn lumber and explained the principles of solar drying.
Among other presentations in the afternoon, Bryan Butteris and I gave a talk on the various possibilities for using your own or local wood in remodeling or construction. We each showed photos of projects where we had used folks' own timber to make flooring, cabinetry, timber frames, stairs, etc. More and more we are finding people who find real satisfaction in using their own hardwood lumber to produce top quality woodworking in their homes. (Click here to see the photos I used in my slideshow.)
Mark Olson of Renaissance Farms, filled us in on a new development in the Spring Green area local foods movement. Working with Rick Terrien of the Iowa County Economic Development Corporation, Mark is in the planning stages of a regional fresh and frozen chopped vegetable packaging plant that may be based in a 11,000 sq. ft former beer distributorship in Highland. A plant of this scale would use local produce and freeze and package it for use in institutions such as the university cafeteria's, schools, and prisons. School Superintendent Jamie Benson expressed interest in getting the school district to work with Mark in bringing the food to River Valley schools.
All in all, our first Live, Use, Buy Local Resource Show went off remarkably well. Many thanks to our group members who worked hard to coordinate this, as well as our guest speakers, booth vendors, and the Community Church for hosting us.
Photos from yesterday.
Alex
www.redbeardlumber.com
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