Demystifying Timber

A Resilient Futures Task Force Event

In comparison to its alternatives, timber is cost-efficient, ecologically viable, and earthquake resistant. New processes of reclamation, recycling, and reuse are becoming scalable and can bring timber’s carbon footprint as low as 1/10th of virgin timber, retaining both sequestered carbon and history.

The recent fires have caused undue skepticism about the material. Many Los Angeles homeowners and homebuilders speculate that timber itself may have played a part in the unprecedented scale of the fires. Demystifying Timber addresses this skepticism with a group of experts in fire-resistant timber, structural engineering, reclamation, and fabrication methods who offer compelling insight into the industrial ecology of timber and its long-term viability.