Portland-end of January visited members of the Colville Business Council and the employee the establishment of Timberlab and HP in the Portland-Vancouver region to see how wood from the Colville Indian Reserve is used in large sustainable construction.
The tour started in Timberlab, a company based in Portland that specializes in mass wood construction. The city council Roger Finley joined representatives of the confederated tribes of the Colville Reservation (CTCR) to observe how tribal forest products are transformed into technical wood components such as networked and adhesive -laminated bars. These products are important elements in environmentally conscious architecture across the country.
“I was happy to invite and take part,” said Finley. “It is something you have to see personally to put the sheer size of the building in the right perspective and know that the Colville -Tribal wood has helped to build up.”
After the Timberlab tour, Finley was visited by the council members Cindy Marchand and Dayna Seymour for a visit to the new facility of HP in Vancouver, Washington, where Colville Timber is prominently presented throughout the structure.
Although still in its skeletal phase, the wood systems have already highlighted the strength and beauty of Colville Timber. “It was great to see a mass wood and to see our wood and other trunk soles at work,” said Seymour.
Rebecca Hunt, director of natural resources for the Colville tribes, also joined the delegation. “It was impressive to see how high and the sophistication of her operations is observed first -hand how our sustainably harvested wood is used,” she said.
The forest manager TMTH Spusman Wilder emphasized the broader importance of the partnership. “Partnerships with companies such as HP and Timberlab offer us more diversified market opportunities that we can use in order to optimize sustainable, multiple -used management of our resources and to solve environmental problems,” he said.
“This partnership is enormous for our trunk,” added Wilder. “The active management of our forest is fundamental to maintaining healthy landscapes, communities and culture.”
For the Hunt, the collaboration speaks for the long -term vision of the tribes. “This partnership is an important step and reflects the goal of the tribes of being innovative and preserving natural resources,” she said.
The connection between Colville Tribes, Timberlab and HP came through a regional initiative under the direction of a sustainable northwest. The non-profit organization based in Portland works with rural and tribal communities to promote sustainable land, water and energy practices. With the help of the financing of the grant, they formed a tribal wood consulting group in order to increase the role of the tribal forest in sustainable development.
“Steve Rigdon of sustainable northwest was the person who contributed to putting everything together,” said Finley. “We are very grateful.”
Rigdon, a member of the Yakama Nation, is a sustainable Northwest Tribal Partnership & Resource Stewardship Manager from Northwest. In addition to his colleagues Paul Vanderford and Micah Stanovsky, he accompanied the trunk leaders on both tours.
“The participation of the confederated tribes of the Colville Reservation (CTCR) in this HP construction project comes from our status quo Forest Management Commerce and Operation,” said Wilder. “The efforts of a sustainable northwest and the importance of the sustainable material procurement, which was emphasized by HP, Timberlab, ZGF Architecture and Swinerton Construction Company, they were able to trace the supply chain back to determine the amount of CTCR wood used in this project.”
“The tour gave me a feeling for the scaling and the adaptability of mass wood products,” added Wilder. “I was particularly amazed at how the facilities and supply companies were integrated into the building so that the aesthetics of the wood products are emphasized without sacrificial functionality.”
The visits not only underlined the use of Colville Timber, but also the broader message of cooperation and responsible administration.
“In my view, the cooperation with HP symbolizes a sensible orientation of values and goals,” said Hunt. “In most cases, it is difficult to follow where our wood products ultimately end up. However, by promoting this aspect of the wooden products pipeline, we bring visibility in our sustainable practices and ensure that our efforts have a long-term purpose.”
Hunt added: “This partnership enables us to present the concrete results of our commitment for our management, in which every piece of wood reflects our commitment to maintain our resources for our current and future generations. It also offers a platform for us to demonstrate our traditional values in a modern context.”
Seymour praised Timberlab's approach to sustainability. “I love your idea to reduce the CO2 footprint and the concept of more environmentally friendly buildings.
“It was nice to hear that the reason why they decided to use wood of tribes, and especially our tribe because they liked our forest practices and how the wood was processed,” she added.
With regard to the future, the Colville tribes see this cooperation as a model for future efforts – drink traditional land responsibility with modern innovations.
“After doing Timberlab and the HP facility on tour, I went with a new view of the construction and how the use of mass wood reduces the CO2 building print,” said Finley. “With the new advances in technologies, I hope that this will be efficient for residential apartments in the future. I would like to thank everyone who has made it possible and to open a new door for the wood of the Colville Triats. The future looks very positive.”