Norfolk Southern providing longleaf pine for Clemson University building
Norfolk Southern Corporation has shared that it will provide timber for the construction of a Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation building project at Clemson University. The majority of the wood used for the building will be longleaf pine harvested from the Brosnan Forest, a 14,400-acre timber and wildlife preserve owned by Norfolk Southern near Charleston, S.C.
The building project will help serve as an education and research hub for wood-based construction and sustainable building practices, and it will develop the next generation of forestry and environmental leaders, per Norfolk Southern.
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The project is significant for its use of longleaf pine, a tree species native to the Southeast U.S. known for its durable wood ideal for use in construction applications. The diverse longleaf pine ecosystem, once accounting for 90 million acres of the Southeast, now spans just 3 million acres. By using sustainable forestry methods and strategic partnerships with leading forestry organizations like The Longleaf Alliance, the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities, and Milliken Advisors, Norfolk Southern's Brosnan Forest is safeguarding the future of this important tree species.
"This wood is not only special because it is longleaf pine, but because it is the result of a long and fruitful collaborative relationship between Norfolk Southern and Clemson," said Patricia Layton, director of the Clemson University Wood Utilization & Design Institute. "The building where it will be used will serve as a showcase for wood construction and will be the instructional space for future leaders in the forestry and natural resources industries"
By responsibly harvesting the longleaf pine for use in Clemson's new building project, Norfolk Southern hopes to successfully demonstrate the superiority of the species for use in infrastructure development.
"We are excited to support Clemson and shine a light on the ecological and durability benefits of longleaf pine," said Josh Raglin, Norfolk Southern's chief sustainability officer. "It will serve as a proof-point for the practical uses of longleaf pine in industrial settings, further demonstrating the importance of sustaining a pine species vital to South Carolina's ecosystem."
Another unique feature of the collaboration is its use of first-of-its-kind blockchain technology. Chainparency's GoTrace platform is being used to track the timber as it moves through the supply chain starting with its harvest at Brosnan Forest then to Collum's Lumber Mill in Allendale, S.C., and SmartLam in Dothan, Ala., for processing before finally arriving in Clemson, S.C.
The project highlights a strong collaboration between numerous entities all working toward the common goal of promoting healthy forests and sustainable building practices.
