UNC Asheville’s STEAM Studio received a $200,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina’s Emergency and Disaster Response Fund for their Community Lumber Project.
The grant funding will allow STEAM Studio to purchase equipment and process trees felled by Hurricane Helene into usable lumber. A mobile sawmill was purchased from Wood-Mizer at a generously offered 50 percent discount. The funding also helped acquire a compact track loader with a 2,500 lb operating capacity, an equipment trailer, a pickup truck, and a kiln to dry the wood. The grant also supports the salary for a staff person to coordinate and operate the mill.
The project will only mill trees that fell due to Helene or other natural causes. The lumber will be available free or discounted for a variety of uses related to recovery and rebuilding after the natural disaster…