According to the US Forest Service, wood accounts for over 10% of the US’s annual waste material. More tree and wood residue are produced from urban areas than harvested from the national forest in some years. This waste ends up being expensive for businesses that have to pay for its collection and disposal.
To remedy this, the Baltimore Wood Project is working with partners, including the US Forest Service, to salvage, rethink and reuse as much wood as possible in the city of Baltimore. This initiative will reduce landfill waste, reviving neglected land, engage local communities, and create several jobs.
Wood waste usually comes in two forms: wood from deconstruction—attained from abandoned buildings; and fresh-cut wood—which comprises chopped or fallen trees growing in a community.
The pilot project salvages wood from building deconstruction and urban tree care operations. The wood is subsequently repurposed and resold locally, creating a closed-loop system or circular economy which promotes waste elimination and continual safe use of natural resources, among several environmental, economic and social benefits.
Baltimore is a particularly appropriate location for the scheme, as it’s estimated that there are 16,000 vacant properties, with some 4,000 slated for demolition over the next four years. Some estimates even put the number of empty lots in the city at well over 30,000.
Upcycling the city’s wood will enable the Baltimore Wood Project to provide sustainable materials for construction, furniture, energy, and other sectors; and restore and reclaim communities.
Baltimore’s unemployment rate currently sits at 8.5%, compared to a national rate of 6.2%. This initiative helps the city (which has a population of almost 600,000) tackle its joblessness problem by focusing on deconstruction rather than destruction.
Worldwide, it’s estimated that making the switch to a circular economy could create $4.5 trillion in economic benefits by 2030.
