Asheville – In the wake of Hurricane Helene, a storm that left a trail of destruction across Western North Carolina, Sara Sanders, the director of UNC Asheville’s STEAM Studio, found herself grappling with a profound sense of loss. “When Helene happened, we were consumed with grief like the rest of Western North Carolina and wanted to find ways to turn the grief into action,” she reflected. This sentiment sparked an innovative initiative that would not only aid in recovery but also foster community resilience through the transformative power of wood.
Turning Trees into Timber
The STEAM Studio recently received a $200,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina’s Emergency and Disaster Response Fund, a lifeline that will enable them to process trees felled by the hurricane into usable lumber. The funding has allowed for the purchase of a mobile sawmill from Wood-Mizer, which was generously offered at a 50 percent discount, along with essential equipment like a compact track loader and a kiln for drying the wood. This project is not just about milling lumber; it’s about breathing new life into what was lost…