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How to Prevent Forest Fires by Building Cities With More Wood
An entrepreneur in Washington state has a plan to reduce wildfire risks, promote low-carbon buildings and boost the local economy, all at the same time.
Woods selectively thinned to help prevent fire and provide material for mass timber in Colville National Forest.
Photographer: Margaret Albaugh/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
This article is part of the Bloomberg Green series Timber Town, which looks at the global rise of timber as a low-carbon building material.
Deep in Colville National Forest in eastern Washington state, Russ Vaagen is pointing to a delineation between woods that have been selectively thinned and those that haven’t. One side is light-filled and punctuated with meadows; the other is dense and dark and loaded with trees losing a Darwinian battle for water and life.