Northwest Hardwoods has donated $25,000 worth of lumber to the new Forestry Complex at Oregon State University. The lumber donation of alder wood will uniquely and innovatively be used as cladding for the outside of the new building.
The Oregon State University College of Forestry is an internationally-recognized leader in education, research and policy for managing and sustaining working forest ecosystems.
Oregon State University and the College of Forestry officially launched a $79.5 million initiative in January 2015 to build the Oregon Forest Science Complex. Once completed, the state-of-the-art facility will provide current and future students with a transformative educational experience across a full range of forestry and natural resources degree programs. The new complex is planned to open in the spring of 2019.
“Northwest Hardwoods’ donation will enable us to build a new, engineered wood facility that will inspire students and create a beautiful, inviting and healthy space for them to learn,” Oregon State University College of Forestry acting dean Anthony S. Davis said. “Grown and made in Oregon, the facility will reinforce our status as a place where students go to find innovative solutions to complex challenges, so they can improve our forest landscapes, ecosystems, and communities.”
The timber donation from Northwest Hardwoods will consist of alder wood. Known for its versatility and beauty, alder is a primary hardwood of the west, and grows within the southern British Columbia to Northern California regions. Alder continues to gain popularity in the global wood industry.
To allow the beauty of alder to be used in an external application the donated lumber will be modified through a process called acetylation. This cutting-edge, patented technology alters the actual chemistry of the wood, so it will resist rot, weather the elements and maintain its strength for decades. Because no metal or toxic chemicals are used to treat the wood, it offers a renewable construction material to builders.
The Northwest Hardwoods/Oregon State University College of Forestry building collaboration is noteworthy as it’s the first known acetylation process using alder wood in an exterior application.
