USFS and Partners
Urban and Community Wood Reuse
in Memphis Provides Model for
Local Regenerative Economies
By Ashley Kite-Rowland, Tennessee Department of Agriculture;
Morgan Grove & Phillip Rodbell, USDA Forest Service; and Lance Davisson, The Keystone Concept
Introduction
As investment increases in planting and
protecting trees and green spaces in the
United States, there is a growing need
to utilize wood that is currently treated
as waste in urban and community (U&C)
settings, and transform it into economic,
environmental, and social value, influ-
enced by local contexts and histories.
Example approaches might include an
individual with a portable bandsaw
producing wood slabs; a municipal
agency processing logs, wood chips and
mulch; or a national business engaging
a network of material sources and pro-
cessors. Regardless of approach, each
utilization project will arise from a com-
bination of motivations: 1) generating
profit, 2) increasing revenue, 3) avoiding
costs, and 4) creating community goods,
benefits, and services (Figure 1).
In this article we share the emergence
of the Memphis Urban Wood (MUW)
project as an example, including current
resources, demand and needs, lessons
learned, and potential future directions
for the U&C wood utilization sector con-
tributing to local regenerative economies.
Figure 1. U&C wood utilization projects vary in their types and
combinations of motivation and scales at which they produce value.
Revenue
Avoided Costs
Profit
Motivations for Urban and Community Wood Utilization
Community Goods
Benefits and Services
12 CityTREES
