Opportunities for Architects/Builders
The MWMC Biocycle Farm provides a local, sustainable supply of versatile, fast-growing poplar wood for use in building projects right here in our community.
Bringing Sustainability Full Circle
From waste to wood, Biocycle Farm poplar is generated locally as part of the MWMC’s wastewater treatment operations. Fast-growing poplar trees readily consume nutrients and water, as well as pull carbon from the air and soil, resulting in wood that can be used for a variety of building applications. Wood can be made available on a sustainable two-year harvest interval to supply specialty building products to the market. Local architects and builders are an integral part of this success story. Innovative uses of poplar in our community bring the poplar lifecycle full circle, delivering these wood products into our homes and businesses.
Proven Applications
Biocycle Farm poplar has been successfully tested to produce architectural ceiling grilles and plywood veneer. Local millers have turned the poplar into 12-inch wide live-edge slabs, 2-by-6 boards, and 1-by-1 strips. Similar uses of poplar in Oregon have produced molding, trim, and dimensional boards. Lightweight and light-colored poplar is easy to work, takes a variety of stains, and looks great with a clear coat.
Mill to Market Linkages
We have the wood, and local mills are capable and interested in milling the wood. The missing link is developing right-sized markets matched to the annual supply based on two-year harvest rotations. With a roster of interested builders and designers ready to use poplar products in their applications, the connection between mill and end-user can be completed to identify the pathway from stump to market.
Get Engaged
To learn more about potential uses of poplar and to add your name to a list of potentially interested users and buyers, email Todd Miller, City of Springfield Environmental Services Supervisor, at tmiller@springfield-or.gov.
Poplar Ceiling Grille Demonstration
As part of the 2017 harvest on the MWMC Biocycle Farm, a small portion of logs were held for a demonstration project to show potentially viable uses of poplar beyond existing regional markets for veneer, wood chips, and hog fuel. Staff worked with Urban Lumber to have the logs locally milled, and coordinated with 9Wood to fabricate ceiling grilles, which were installed in the Library Meeting Room at Springfield City Hall, 225 Fifth Street. Check out this images below to learn more about the process and the product.
