By Liam Jackson for Great Lakes Echo.
Broadcast version by Brett Peveto for Michigan News Connection with support from the Solutions Journalism Network

Urban wood could help save the environment and small businesses at the same time.

“When I walk through the woods now compared to 20 years ago, I notice the trees getting smaller and smaller because they are getting over-forested,” said Jason Tervol, the owner of Tervol’s Wood Products in Hillsdale County, Michigan.

Getting lumber from urban sources is a growing alternative in Michigan and nationwide.

Urban wood can mean wood from city trees, but the definition is broader, said Paul Hickman, the CEO of Urban Ashes, an Ann Arbor consultant who helps municipalities recycle wood.

“Urban wood can be defined as any wood that was not harvested for its timber value and was diverted from or removed from the waste stream and developed or redeveloped into a product,” Hickman said.

That includes wood from demolished buildings, fresh-cut urban trees and salvaged lumber, Hickman said. This wood can be found in urban forests, urbanized areas, highways, orchards and generally any area where people live and work.

Michigan is one of eight states that are part of the Urban Wood Network, a national coalition of urban wood industry professionals and stakeholders. Hickman is the representative for the Michigan chapter.

The idea has been around for over 20 years, but execution has taken off only over the last few years. A nationally unified approach to urban wood collection and the creation of universal standards for the definition have helped boost the practice, Hickman said.

“In the last five to seven years, it has picked up a tremendous amount of speed around the country,” Hickman said. “You are starting to see national manufacturers and national retailers using it.”

Live Edge Detroit is a company that supplies urban wood to people and businesses. The wood is used to make items as diverse as pencils, bowls and headboards, said John Kwiecien, who is in charge of Live Edge’s business development and operations.

“We have a variety of customers,” Kwiecien said. “Everyone from the weekend warrior that wants to come in and build their own coffee table up to custom home builders who are coming in to buy big pieces of wood to make mantels.”

Before his urban wood endeavors, Live Edge Detroit owner Mike Barger spent decades running a tree care company called Mike’s Tree Surgeon. His interest in conservation was the reason for beginning an urban wood company.

“We are trying to be as sustainable as possible,” Barger said. “It gives the trees a new life. It gives them a life to live on”

Live Edge Detroit tracks nearly every log that comes in. When it is turned into a new product, the customer knows where it came from, Kwiecien said.

“So when somebody buys a piece of wood from us, we can tell them exactly what city in the Detroit Metro area that it came from,” Kwiecien said.

There are many smaller mills around Michigan, including in Traverse City, Detroit and Hillsdale, that recycle wood that large mills won’t, Hickman said.

Large mills, which have automated systems and large, expensive machines, have criteria for the quality of wood that they use, Hickman said. Smaller mills, on the other hand, can work with wood that isn’t as “pure” because it is easier to change saws and work by hand.

“Urban wood has greater levels in variation of the character than you would see in traditional wood,” Hickman said. “Instead of it being a character flaw, it becomes a character that is embraced, highlighted and showcased.”

Tervol’s Wood Products in North Adams is “the biggest little saw mill” in Michigan, Tervol said.

The family business views the recycling of wood as important to the environment and to local communities.

Another benefit: Using the wood rather than burning it or letting it rot keeps it from releasing carbon that contributes to climate change.

“The tree is not going to release the carbon dioxide it has captured over its lifetime because it is going to be a finished product,” he said.

Urban wood producers say they are optimistic about the industry’s future.

“I believe that the last five years have laid down the groundwork for what the future holds,” Kwiecien said. “I do believe that this is not a fad and it is something that is real.”


Liam Jackson wrote this article for Great Lakes Echo.


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A Knoxville-based environmental group is raising awareness about increasing U.S. nuclear weapons spending and supporting this week's global effort to ban nuclear arms.

The event, organized by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, is focused on nine countries, including the U.S., spending more than $90 billion annually on nuclear weapons, the equivalent of more than $173,000 per minute.

Tanvi Kardile, coordinator of the Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance, said the campaign backs the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. She stressed this week's campaign, called "No Money for Nuclear Weapons," is a rallying cry worldwide.

"To talk about how much money is being spent on nuclear weapons and how disproportionate it is compared to other facets of society that maybe we aren't putting as much money into," Kardile contended. "Such as health care, education, combating climate change, etc.; things that could actually benefit us as a society."

Besides the tax implications, Kardile pointed out her group is concerned with the ongoing risks closer to home, tied to enriching uranium and other activities at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge.

Kardile argued addressing the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons is crucial because in recent years, some global leaders have made threats about using them, amid growing international tensions and discord. She added the production and use of nuclear weapons are environmental hazards.

"I'd say the biggest risk comes from groundwater, and recreational water as well," Kardile emphasized. "Production causes radioactive materials to seep into the waterways, so it's really detrimental to the water we're drinking, the water we're using recreationally."

This month, Gov. Bill Lee announced a nuclear power and renewable energy company based in France is building a uranium enrichment plant in Oak Ridge. The multibillion-dollar centrifuge uranium facility is 750,000 square feet and is expected to employee 300 workers.

By Hunter Fore for Cronkite News.
Broadcast version by Alex Gonzalez for Arizona News Connection reporting for the Solutions Journalism Network-Public News Service Collaboration

On an overcast November morning, volunteers got to work to restore local river flow.

Drought and decreasing water availability have been ongoing problems throughout Arizona. In Tucson, drought along with new land developments are causing decreases in vegetation and wildlife habitat.

Watershed Management Group is a Tucson-based nonprofit that aims to fix this problem. The group aids in local water conservation, land restoration and river flow. It holds regular events to help the environment such as cleanups, workshops, fundraisers and classes. The group has a club called the River Run Network, which includes a biweekly email with invitations to events like creek walks and family education days to help restore Tucson's heritage of flowing rivers.

Watershed Management Group worked to remove an invasive plant from a riparian area in the Tanque Verde community of Tucson on Nov. 18.

The species of grass Arundo donax, more commonly known as "giant reed," is an invasive species in Tucson's riparian ecosystem, the wetland area between a body of water and land. Invasive species in those areas are harmful to the ecosystem, wildlife and the city's groundwater supply.

"Arundo is one of the invasive species that we focus on removing," said Hannah Nuest, a program coordinator for the River Run Network. "It sucks up to three to four times the amount of water that native plants do, which affects groundwater levels and river flow."

Tucson's drinking water comes mostly from the Colorado River, which is experiencing decreasing water levels, and from groundwater. But those underground aquifers are fed with water from natural areas like riparian preserves, and invasive species like arundo compete for that water, cutting into Tucson's water supply

"Invasive species also cause problems for tree canopy coverage," Nuest said. "Trees like the cottonwood and the mesquite need water closer to the surface, so when that water's being used up, the number of trees can decrease, causing habitat loss, less shade, more pollutants and hotter temperatures."

Arundo removal also helps the local ecosystem with flood risk reduction, water quality improvement and increased river flow.

"Arundo comes from the Mediterranean and was brought to the Tucson area around the early 19th century for landscaping," said Jim Washburne, Watershed Management Group's senior project specialist.

When arundo grass is present, nutrients that usually travel downstream are blocked. This prevents other plants from growing along waterways, which increases flood risks and decreases habitat potential.

Complete removal of every arundo plant would be nearly impossible, but removing even a small amount is good for the ecosystem, Washburne said.

"We typically do this every week in Tanque Verde," Washburne said. "This is our most consistent environmental event. It's important for the community to get involved in taking care of the land they live on."

According to Tucson's One Water 2100 Plan, which is a new city plan to improve water delivery methods, riparian preserve restoration not only increases local tree canopy coverage but helps the local economy by helping with cooler temperatures, more trees and more diverse water delivery options.

"Riparian areas are integral to the health of Tucson's water supply and economy," Washburne said.


Hunter Fore wrote this article for Cronkite News.


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Recent extreme wildfires in Wyoming burned nearly 500,000 acres and among those recovering are ranchers and their surviving livestock.

Wildfires burned through large swaths of ranch lands in northern Wyoming and southern Montana last month, including the House Draw Fire, which blazed across nearly 175,000 acres in Johnson and Campbell counties. No homes or human lives were lost, but important ranching resources were, such as hundreds of miles of fencing, winter forage and summer grazing grounds.

Micah Most, agriculture and natural resources educator for the University of Wyoming Extension, said livestock deaths are hard to tally, but the injuries are apparent.

"We're seeing a lot of cattle with injured feet, burned feet, from walking through or over the hot ground as they were escaping," Most pointed out. "A lot of stress just generally on those animals."

Most emphasized the outpouring of support from people in Wyoming and beyond has been "deeply meaningful." The office is coordinating hay donations, locals are helping with livestock relocation and a community network is hosting a drive for fencing supplies. Financial donations can be made to Wyoming Rancher Fire Relief and elsewhere.

Most explained some injured animals may need to be culled from the herd and sold at a discounted price. Extension offices across the state have been revisiting their emergency preparedness and response materials to help people and ranchers deal with increasingly extreme weather events.

"Finding ways to kind of harden your home area, maybe the home ranch place, and limit some of the risk factors," Most stressed.

The fires also burned through important habitat for pronghorn, mule deer and breeding grounds important to the greater sage grouse.