TRAILSNext
™
Series Presented by American Trails
The
TRAILSNext™
Series brings you cutting edge information from leading experts in the trails world on today’s hottest trail topics. These high energy 18-minute presentations were recorded to be made available to folks who were unable to attend this year's International Trails Symposium.
Each month we will be featuring one of these talks in our eNews, and you can purchase the entire series on our website at this
link.
This month we are sharing with you "
Getting Real with Preservative-Treated Wood for Trail Structures
" by presenter Butch Bernhardt.
In the 21st century should we still be using wood for our trails? Sustainable forestry, at its simplest, is about growing trees. The full story, though, is much more complex. An important chapter of that story is the role that preserved wood plays in ensuring sustainability. We as a trail industry have the ability to increase the life of wood products beyond the time it takes to grow a new tree that can be used to replace that product. By responsibly adding preservatives into wood, we can expand the life of wood significantly and further extend the cycle of renewability for our forests. When comparing steel, concrete, plastics and wood, it is important to remember wood is the only renewable resource, which is often overlooked by focusing on recycled content. Considering that health, heritage and happiness all improve when wood is used properly, the story for wood gets even better.
