Branching Columns support Monkey Men
Sometimes folks from afar hear tell of our CSF, and our Whole Trees Architecture, and they blog about our blog. I just found out the above link listed our CSF as an interesting counter to a new carbon-negative cement under development in the UK. The brief article goes on to tell that despite the positive potential of such a product, there are even higher sequestrations of carbon out there– ways of building that honor the true carbon guzzlers, forests! (That’s where we come in).
On this note, we’ve been absent from the blogosphere lately because we underwent a tremendous push to complete a federal grant application while preparing the greenhouse for our winter greens share. It was draining! And then we raced to catch up on all the other neglected details of life (like harvesting giant zucchinis and cleaning the bathroom).
This grant would allow tremendous things for our forest! It would prepare us to scientifically test the “Y” branching columns we like to build with for their enormous axial and lateral strength. Branched timbers have never been tested for their strength, despite the fact that a tree engineers these fixed connections to withstand wind, and other giant forces. With laboratory tests proving the qualities of branched timbers, we can begin to flesh out structural codes that will allow us to build bigger and advocate better.
Again, at the MREA
Now, emerging from the haze of grant writing and self-promotion, back to the forest:
- “Chicken of the Woods” wild mushroom. Estella actually spotted it. Roald cooked it. I ate it. Which is cuter? The mushroom or the girl?
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the whole gang perched on Dereks truck which they just loaded with firewood
teamwork in action!
We had a visit this week from S.O.U.L. This is a group of students from St. Mary’s University in Winona Minnesota that does service learning trips. Their name stands for Serving Others United in Love. What a great idea. And they really commit, too. When they came to see us they were on the tail end of an extended weekend trip which had just involved two nights of below-freezing camping while they helped out with a state park. They were cold and a couple were sick. But when their last event of the trip canceled on them, did they go home to their nice warm dorms and call it good? No they did not! They detoured over to visit Whole Trees. We gave them a tour and talk about whole tree construction and then put them to work hauling a bunch of downed trees out of the stream bed. Before they left they also helped move a truckload of firewood into Derek’s big red truck. I personally appreciate that a lot – that firewood will keep my fingers warm while I type and click in AutoCAD all winter. Thanks a bunch S.O.U.L.!
filling the truck in about five minutes
This is the same organization (although not the same group) that helped Roald repair the damage to our greenhouse two years ago after a huge spring flood washed all the dirt from the north wall up against the south glass. Roald tried to call and cancel their tour, saying there was too much work to do and nothing to see … but they just said it was all the more reason to come and help out. Many hands make light work and they got the entire hillside shoveled back where it belonged in a single day.
if you look out the window on the right you can see the snow flakes falling - but inside the greenhouse next door the little plants are blooming away
This is a view into our passive solar greenhouse at Driftless Farm from “the Bookend” which is the second residence here at Driftless Farm. The Bookend incorporates a whole slew of nice sustainable design principals. The downstairs is a community kitchen where we gather to eat or process things from the farm in summer. It also holds our batteries and PV inverter. The upstairs is a small apartment that can house our farm manager or workers. Being built onto the end of the greenhouse, it shares warmth with it in the winter and venting in the summer. The building is filled with re-used and found materials – shipping pallet walls, recycled carpet ceiling finish and, of course, whole tree structure. Those trees were harvested sustainably out of the surrounding woods; the house sequesters 12 tons of carbon in wood and straw bales.
swiss chard all cozy in the greenhouse
poor sage out in the cold
The plants for the winter greens share are blooming away in our greenhouse at driftless farm. Since it turned cold this weekend they must be extra happy there. It was clear to see the difference yesterday when a surprise snow storm dropped puffy white flakes on us all day. The fall plants left outside looked so forlorn but the greenhouse was cozy and bright … and safe from flurries.