Sustainable Local Wood Webinar Series: Tree to Table

Explore the connections between sustainable forestry and craft woodworking using NEFF’s new conference tables as an example.

Webinar participants will get an in-depth account of the design processes and sustainability considerations that went into creating a set of custom tables from local, sustainably harvested wood. Mitch Ryerson, a designer/builder and Professor of Sustainable Furniture Design at Mass College of Art and Design, will tell the story of how his students developed a set of conference tables for New England Forestry Foundation, from wood sourced from local forests managed according to the organization’s Exemplary Forestry standards.

The discussion will explore the connections between sustainable forestry and craft woodworking, giving insight into how local wood can be used to create beautiful and sustainable goods to meet the challenges we face from global climate change. Participants will hear from Mitch and two of his students, Marc Guerrero and Nicole Garcia, about the features and details of the tables, as well as the creative and prototyping processes the MassArt class engaged in to design them. Together with Massachusetts Woodlands Institute Executive Director Emily Boss, we will then talk about the growth and harvesting practices used for hardwoods in New England, and the positive climate benefits of forests, forestry, and furniture making.