Paul McMahon
Ash trees culled because of emerald ash borer are now part of a new grocery store under construction on East Washington Avenue.
Many in Madison are sad to see the city cutting down thousands of ash trees as an invasive Asian insect decimates the urban forest. But they might be heartened to learn that a few will remain intact and become part of the new Skogen’s Festival Foods grocery store, now under construction on the 800 block of East Washington Avenue.
The trees aren’t just decorative, but are being used to support the building’s roof, a job typically performed by steel.
“We are always looking for ways to do things green,” says Roger P. Schlomann, Festival Foods construction/facilities manager. “We wanted a different look for this store, and learned about a Madison company that was harvesting ash trees and making structural components.”
WholeTrees Architecture and Structures turns small-diameter trees into something the construction industry can use in place of steel. The company began by building homes with unmilled, branching timbers — including this reporter’s home west of Madison — and are now expanding into commercial construction.
“The Festival Food project is the first of its kind,” says Amelia Baxter, WholeTrees president. “These are the heaviest load-bearing columns and the longest spans of trusses that we have engineered.... We are developing our technology in wonderful ways.”
“We founded our company to bring the beauty and strength of low-value trees to the construction market,” Baxter adds. “This project is compelling, not just aesthetically, but in terms of technological and engineering development.”
Working with the USDA Forest Products Laboratory in Madison has put WholeTrees in the vanguard of this new field.
Douglas Rammer, a research engineer at Forest Products, has been working with WholeTrees on developing and testing the strength of the metal connections that hold the wood together.
“At this point, it’s a niche market,” says Rammer. “Most steel joists have undergone rigorous testing, and building engineers use them with confidence. There is a lot of work needed in order to get this type of wood use accepted. I’ve never seen anyone want to take it on. It is a unique concept. WholeTrees has made a big leap.”
“The challenges are worth it,” Baxter says. “Round timber is a healthy alternative or complement to steel. It sequesters carbon. It creates rural economic development. This is the first full project we’ve rolled out in our new Muscoda facility. It meant hiring 20 crew members.”
WholeTrees usually works with trees thinned from forests. For this project, it used city ash trees that were being culled because of the emerald ash borer (EAB). This insect’s larvae feed on the inner bark of ash trees, destroying the tree’s ability to transport water and nutrients. The insect can kill healthy trees within two years.
The insect was discovered in Madison in November 2013 near Warner Park. The city is home to about 21,000 ash trees along its streets and as many as 100,000 in its parks. There are another estimated 100,000 trees on private property. The parks division has prepared a website for how to fight the pest (see this item at isthmus.com for link).
“EAB kills 100% of ash trees that are not treated,” says Charlie Romines, Madison assistant park superintendent of operations and facilities. “We have been surveying our street trees and will treat about 10,000. For most of the trees in the parks, except those by playgrounds, parking lots, and other areas were people gather, we will allow nature to take its course.”
Many of the ash being removed are ground up for mulch. But Roald Gundersen, WholeTrees’ founder, suggested another use for them.
“Roald and Festival Foods approached me over a year ago,” says Romines. “They found some at Tenney Park a few blocks from the building site that fit their needs. City Forestry worked with WholeTrees and dropped 13 trees gently so they didn’t break up the branching structure they needed. They are making a donation to the city which we will use to treat 15 to 20 trees that we would otherwise lose to EAB in Tenney Park.”
Romines says he would love to see other developers take advantage of some of the ash trees being cut. Bill Pennoyer, Tri-North Builders project manager, who installed the ash trees in the Festival Foods building, would love to work with ash again.
“Now that most of them are installed, there hasn’t been anything particularly tricky about the installation compared to normal construction,” says Pennoyer. “And anything you do the second time, you are that much better at.”
Ash trees culled because of emerald ash borer are now part of a new grocery store under construction on East Washington Avenue.
