Using Industrial Clusters to Build an Urban Wood Utilization Program: A Twin Cities Case Study

The concept of industry clusters—where businesses and/or organizations are located within a geographic region and have developed mutually beneficial cooperative links with one another—can serve as a template for starting or expanding an urban wood utilization program.

"Urban tree removals in the U.S. range from an estimated 16 to 38 million green tons per year. Removals of this magnitude—due to pests, storms, construction, hazard trees, etc.—are increasing the interest and adoption of practices to convert urban “waste” wood to useful products. One example is the Minneapolis-St. Paul (Twin Cities) metropolitan area where strong markets for biomass and landscape mulch are contributing to the growth of recycling fallen urban trees. Twin Cities-based tree service firms, wood recyclers, communities, niche businesses, and ancillary wood-using companies all contribute to regional wood utilization activities. State-based initiatives and programs are important in promoting and facilitating the conversion of urban wood residue into useful products. Also, the discovery of the emerald ash borer in the Twin Cities is leading to heightened awareness of urban wood utilization." [Executive Summary]

The work upon which this publication is based was funded in whole or in part through a grant awarded by the Wood Education and Resource Center, Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture (Award number 09-DG-089).

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