From left: Helen Rahder (Whittier Conservancy), artist Lauren Verdugo, Richard Nicholson (educator), Big John Mahoney (WCA), and David Dickerson (Whittier Conservancy)
Several Southern California organizations gathered at Street Tree Revival’s Anaheim facility on Wednesday, February 23, 2022 to celebrate the transition of an historic oak tree into lumber that will be used for children’s stools in a local library.
To celebrate removing the wood from the drying kiln, the Southern California Woodworking Teachers group and the Society of Wood Manufacturing (SWM) were invited to gather with representatives from the Whittier Conservancy, including Executive Director Helen Rahder and Board member David Dickerson (who led this community project), and West Coast Arborists/Street Tree Revival. Leaders from the Sam and Alfreda Maloof Foundation for the Arts and Crafts, including Executive Director Jim Rawitsch, were also in attendance, along with students and faculty from the Cerritos College Wood Manufacturing Program and other local woodworking enthusiasts, in total approximately 40 people.
The oak tree was 63 years old and cut down from the Whittier (California) Central Library in 2020 to make room for an addition and remodeling of the building. West Coast Arborists (WCA) removed the tree (image left) and Street Tree Revival has prepared the wood so that it can be used for projects.
The wood harvested from the tree has been drying at the Whittier yard and at Street Tree Revival for two years. The final process was to kiln dry the wood. Three, 55 gallon barrels of water were removed from the wood during the drying process, which produced 1,100 board feet of lumber.
The wood will be made into 12 children’s stools by local artist Lauren Verdugo at the Maloof Foundation and the stools will be used in the children reading section of the Whittier Library. The remaining wood will be shared with local high school and college woodworking programs for building student projects.
A prototype of the stool that artist Lauren Verdugo will make from the oak wood.
In a June 2020 article, Ms. Rahder explained the project: “This sustainable project will not only ‘preserve’ the iconic oak tree for future generations, but it will be a teaching tool to show kids how the tree, while in a different form, is still providing benefits to them as it moves into its next cycle of usefulness. We hope to include a wall-mounted disc of the trunk that shows its rings of life when it provided shade and beauty on its first round. Our gift to the community, in collaboration with the City of Whittier Parks Department and the Library, will provide a lesson in Sustainable building practices and begin the next chapter in the library’s own story.”
Guests gather at the celebration at Street Tree Revival on February 23.
Street Tree Revival/WCA generously hosted the woodworking educators in attendance and provided tours of their facility which displayed their expansive inventory of urban lumber. SWM sponsored the meal for the celebration. SWM and the Southern California Woodworking Teachers represent local high school woodworking educators and industry professionals focused on supporting school programs. SWM and all attendees express a huge thank you to Street Tree Revival staff for making this event inspiring, especially Big John Mahoney and Danny Mahoney.
About West Coast Arborists
West Coast Arborists, Inc. (WCA, Inc.) was established in 1972. Today, the family-owned company is providing professional tree maintenance and management services for over 330 municipalities and public agencies throughout California and Arizona.
About Street Tree Revival
All trees have a life cycle, so we are making every effort to save the trees we can from ending up in landfills. When trees need to be removed from the Urban Forest, we preserve their natural beauty and also limit carbon emissions by salvaging trees lost during storms, disease, or normal senescence and recycling this wood into usable raw lumber.
About The Whittier Conservancy
The Whittier Conservancy is committed to the preservation and enhancement of Whittier’s unique character and quality of life. The Conservancy promotes awareness and appreciation of Whittier’s historic, aesthetic, and natural resources. The Conservancy works for the preservation and sensitive use of Whittier’s significant residential structures, landmark commercial buildings, and notable landscapes, including its valuable cultivated trees, public parks, and the natural beauty of the Whittier Hills (California).
About Society of Wood Manufacturing (SWM)
Society of Wood Manufacturing (SWM) is a Southern California Chapter of AWFS® focused on bringing together local industry professionals, educators, and students to strengthen the school wood programs and offer industry career awareness and guidance for students.
Thank you to these sources for providing information and images for this article:
— Richard Nicholson
— Street Tree Revival
— The Whittier Conservancy
— David Dickerson
— “Library Oak Tree Project” (June 2020) https://www.whittierconservancy.org/press-releases