SEATTLE — When a tree falls in the city, does it make a table? Or a guitar or a cabinet?
It’s a question that’s increasingly being asked by state and city leaders, arborists, tree care companies and woodworkers. A growing coalition aims to turn urban wood into a valuable resource, rather than a waste product that is chipped up and sent to landfills.
“Ten to 15 years ago, nobody knew what urban wood was,” said Paul Hickman, founder and CEO of Urban Ashes, a Michigan-based consulting company that helps cities create wood recycling programs. “Cities are starting to understand and accept the value in this.”
