Growing a thriving forest can be a messy process.
But two University students are taking small trees that usually go to waste and are using them to construct new buildings.
Architecture graduate students Paul Warner and Craig Synnestvedt designed and partially built a structure using timber that was cleared from forests. The U. S. Forest Service clears small timbers, making room for larger trees to prosper.
The project's aim is to provide a unique solution to the dilemma that arises when forests are thinned to promote the growth of large trees.
"We tried to find something interesting to do with small poles instead of simply grinding them up," Synnestvedt said.
Their project is on display in the Art and Architecture Building on North Campus, and was one of several student projects recognized with an Alumni Choice Award at an annual exhibit of student work.
"Removing stems mechanically is expensive, as selective cutting and harvesting must be done in a manner that will minimize damage to the higher-quality timber," said Ronald Wolfe, a research engineer for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service.
Wolfe said that when the smaller trees are cleared from the forest, they are usually wasted or not fully utilized. Oftentimes, the common solutions don't make economic sense.
"In most instances, products such as paper or composite panels do not generate enough revenue by themselves to cover the cost of harvesting thinnings," Wolfe said.
For these reasons, researchers at the Forest Products Laboratory in Madison, Wis., have been looking for an alternative solution for a number of years. Warner and Synnestvedt visited the lab and have been working closely with the Forest Service on a solution since the beginning of the year.
The structure they created uses bent small timbers as trusses. It is intended to replace the visitor's center at the north end of the Mackinac Bridge.
The center is a place where people visiting the area can pick up maps and other information regarding their vacation. The current center was established by the Department of Transportation as a temporary installation.
However, it is not certain whether the award-winning design will be constructed.
"Being only one structure, building the new visitor center wouldn't solve all of the problems," Warner said, adding that it may provide a model for later use. "It is an example of what could be done and might give others ideas."
"The idea of the new design is to bring a new look to the facility and give visitors a message of our efforts to utilize resources to their fullest," said Daryl Dean, a U. S. Forest Service official.
Having backgrounds in civil engineering as well as architecture, Warner and Synnestvedt said they were able to have a better understanding of what could work in designing their structure.
"The engineering background gives us an intuition of where the structural forces should be," Warner said. "We were thinking about how the building would be put together while building our project."
Warner and Synnestvedt have now entered the waiting stage of the project. Further testing must be done before the Forest Service can approve the construction.
Once the testing is complete, Warner and Synnestvedt said they are optimistic that USDA will go through with the project.
"We hope that the Madison Lab will do the structural testing," Synnestvedt said. "If all goes well, then we might build a piece of it for the (Ann Arbor) Art Fair."
Building parts of the structure is not simple. Warner and Synnestvedt had to bend the poles using a pickup truck in the Media Union parking lot. The process involved a great deal of trial and error.
The small trees often snapped under the stress of being bent, and urgency was added to the problem, as the timbers became more dry and less flexible with each hour.
"Getting blisters and splinters was a big part of the learning process," Warner said.
Warner and Synnestvedt said they can't wait indefinitely for their proposal to be approved for construction, as other work opportunities arise during USDA testing.
"We hope it will be built," Synnestvedt said. "The great delays do present problems, however."