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"Slow Wood: Greener Building from Local Forests" with Brian Donahue
About the presentation: Can we reconnect housing to sustainably-managed local and regional forests? Through the colonial period, houses were mostly constructed and heated directly from local woodlands—Walden Woods was a notable example. During the nineteenth century the lumber industry was transformed to a national system of large-scale extraction, with devastating consequences. Today, very little of our housing ties to diverse forests that provide multiple ecological benefits. Should it?
Slow Wood describes how Brian and his family built a timber frame house straight from the woods on their Massachusetts farm, utilizing “low grade” trees through “worst first” ecological forestry. Can this be replicated across rural areas, and what does it suggest about the larger challenge of supplying homes for cities and suburbs? Join us for a historically-informed conversation about conservation and housing in modern America.
About Brian Donahue: Brian Donahue is professor emeritus of American Environmental Studies at Brandeis University. Brian is a historian and an expert on sustainable forestry and agriculture with a particular emphasis on the New England region. Brian’s book, "The Great Meadow", examines land use and agriculture in colonial Concord. He is co-author of three reports that promote an integrated vision of farm and forest conservation and stewardship: "Wildlands and Woodlands, A New England Food Vision", and "Beyond the Illusion of Preservation". Most recently, he published "Slow Wood: Greener Building from Local Forests" (Yale University Press).
Event Links
Tickets: https://go.evvnt.com/3652259-0
