Green Oak Initiative

This interdisciplinary research explores the possibilities of using an underutilized byproduct of the U.S. Appalachian hardwood industry as a sustainable building material. This byproduct is the white oak “cant,” which is the leftover center cut of a milled log that is typically sold “green” or un‐dried because of inherent defects that limit its usefulness as a traditional dry lumber product. Currently, cants are only used in the manufacturing of shipping pallets, a low grade product. However, because cants are not kiln dried or further processed, they present a valuable opportunity as a low cost building material with a low embodied energy. Additionally, the small owner operated sawmills of Appalachia can benefit financially from value added solutions. Yet there are obstacles in the building industry that prevent the introduction of cants into the market, such as a lack of contemporary architectural or engineering knowledge in the U.S. about green oak in building design. Therefore, this research presents results of structural testing and architectural explorations that provide fundamental information necessary for building applications. The conclusions based on these tests are being applied to a full‐scale demonstration project, which will be monitored for structural and thermal performance over a period of two years.