Treasure Valley Urban Wood Network
Creating value from our urban forest through sustainable growth of a local urban timber industry
About the Process
The Treasure Valley Urban Wood Network is a program of the Treasure Valley Canopy Network. Through this local Urban Wood Network, we are committed to maximizing the value of local urban timber for cities, the tree care industry, millers and makers as well as supporting sustainability efforts through partnerships in the public and private sector. As homeowners, neighborhoods, cities and the tree care industry better understand the process of how the urban timber industry works, we can together ensure these large trees can be recycled. By recycling these large urban trees, we reduce waste to the landfill, create jobs and build a local urban wood economy that crafts beautiful sustainable furniture and artwork that can be enjoyed in homes and businesses of Treasure Valley residents for generations to come.
In 2021, The Keystone Concept and partners supporting the Treasure Valley Wood Network, partnered with the National Urban Wood Network (UWN) to create an Idaho UWN Chapter. All of these efforts, will continue to grow a circular urban wood economy across the state of Idaho and beyond.
Step 1: Our Urban Forest
Treasure Valley communities care for our region’s urban forest, which includes planting new trees, caring for trees throughout their life cycle, and removing diseased, aged and hazard trees at the end of their life. The Urban Wood Network is building building partnerships with cities, neighborhoods and the tree care industry that will provide a sustainable supply of valuable wood to support our local timber industry.
Step 2: Urban Timber
Once a tree is removed, in order to be made into a marketable product, it must be “milled” into slabs, called urban timber.
The Urban Wood Network is building partnerships with local millers who can work with cities and tree care companies to remove trees, mill these trees into slabs which can then be used by local makers to create beautiful furniture and artwork.
Step 3: Local Urban Wood Products
Local “makers” take milled slabs and build furniture & artwork that they then sell to homeowners and at local marketplaces.
The Urban Wood Network partners with local millers and makers, helping build a sustainable flow of urban timber material. This urban timber is not only sustainable and environmentally friendly, it builds on a story of the benefits of our trees and how they bring value to our community even when their life ends and they must be removed.
Join the Network
Connect with us if you’re interested in learning more and engaging with the Network