Alternative Title
Dr Bradley Almond Dissertation - SMU - May 2025
Subject Area
Ecology, Humanities, Political Science and Government, Public Policy, Sustainability and Development, Urban Planning
Abstract
Millions of urban trees are downed annually for various reasons, such as storms, disease, or development. We are all witnesses to the loss of trees as we see the piles of woody waste assembled on the curbside, ready for public works pickup. Today, most urban wood waste ends up in landfills, mulching/chipping facilities, or firewood production. Each of these alternatives results in the release of sequestered carbon back into the atmosphere.
The initial research led to successful diversion from landfills to mulch and firewood operations. Then, the research shifted to converting urban wood waste for its best use, which outlined a strategy for producing lumber from millable trees. Urban wood waste should be reclaimed and recycled to produce new, long-lasting products, thus sequestering the carbon for generations. For municipalities, the ultimate benefit could be profits for reinvesting in tree planting (known as a reforestation hub).
After years of support and evidence for implementing urban wood reclamation programs, municipalities across the United States have been slow to adopt the practice. The project presented in this dissertation assembled a comprehensive survey across three distinct disciplines to answer why adoption has been slow.
The conclusion is that public/private partnerships are essential to urban wood reclamation projects’ success and economic feasibility, and such partnerships have not been developed. City leaders have ignored the partnership potential in the burgeoning private sector urban milling operations. Thus, city leaders are squandering a viable path to municipal-led or supported urban wood reclamation and have mainly been passive in support of the private sector.
Degree Date
Spring 5-17-2025
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
D.L.S.
Department
Simmons School of Education & Human Development
Advisor
Dr Bruce Levy
Second Advisor
Dr Allison Kanny
Third Advisor
Dr Charles Sullivan
Number of Pages
162
Format
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Recommended Citation
Almond, Bradley C., "The State of Municipal Scale Highest Use Urban Wood Reclamation Projects" (2025). Graduate Liberal Studies Theses and Dissertations. 17.
https://scholar.smu.edu/simmons_gls_etds/17
Included in
Agribusiness Commons, Environmental Policy Commons, Natural Resources and Conservation Commons, Natural Resources Management and Policy Commons, Other Forestry and Forest Sciences Commons, Sustainability Commons, Wood Science and Pulp, Paper Technology Commons
