Presenters:

Stephen Aiguier, President, Green Hammer Construction; Chair of the NW EcoBuilding
Guild

Ben Deumling, Owner, Zena Forest Products 

Moderator:

Ryan Temple, President, Sustainable Northwest Wood

The Pacific Northwest contains the most productive and diverse temperate forests in the world. This bounty, combined with our leadership in Forest Stewardship Certification, should form a natural symbiosis between green building and sustainable forestry throughout the Cascades. However, in order to use local FSC certified woods one must understand them. This session will illustrate creative uses of local species, discuss challenges to their broader use, and provide a pathway to facilitate their incorporation into projects. The second half of the session will guide participants through a planning process that compares the effectiveness of different approaches to wood specifying.

Presenter Bios

Ryan Temple
Ryan Temple holds a Masters in Community and Regional Planning and has worked in
the field of sustainable forestry for over twenty years. That experience includes
designing timber sales, training youth in forest restoration techniques, small business
assistance, directing a Northwest regional network of over 60 wood products businesses,
and currently operating the only wood distribution yard in the United States that is
focused exclusively on local and sustainable wood. He is a regular speaker on topics of
regional community development, FSC certification, and wood products marketing.

Stephen Aiguier
Stephen Aiguier is the founder and President of Green Hammer a 25 employee design and build firm in Portland Oregon.  Green Hammer's mission is to massively reduce carbon emissions by designing and building ultra-high-performance buildings with local, non-toxic, and responsible materials.  In 2005 Stephen co-founded the now 100+ member Build Local Alliance, a non-profit group committed to connecting builders and architects to local and responsible foresters and millwrights. In order to promote Green Hammer's local use of FSC wood products, in 2008 Stephen advanced Green Hammer's mission by becoming the only building firm in the United States to obtain the Forest Stewardship Council's (FSC) chain-of-custody  certification,.  Green Hammer is currently seeking FSC certification on multiple building projects.

Bem Deuling
Ben Deumling grew up on his family's forest and has been working in the forest and lumber industry ever since he was a kid.  Currently he owns Zena Forest Products, A small vertically integrated custom sawmill in the central Willamette Valley that is connected to the Zena Forest.  His passion is to promote good local economies for well managed wood products throughout the NW.