Authors: Igor De Moraes; Anthony Arace; Thomas Riviere; William Donovan
Advisors: Sarah Stanlick; Bethel Eddy
Category: Undergraduate
Abstract/Description:
The Princeton Environmental Action Committee (EAC) is a town committee within Princeton, MA that exists to advise and set goals and recommendations for the town of Princeton regarding energy and environmental considerations. Our project aimed to assist the EAC in this goal by documenting available wood sources within a 20-mile radius of Princeton. Our project defines “available wood” as wood that has been removed either for environmental or safety reasons, in addition to waste wood from for-profit wood removals done by private businesses. This wood cannot be made into higher-value products, and instead is left to be given away, rot, or put to other local uses that can be found for this wood. To quantify this wood output, we conducted interviews, phone calls, and email exchanges with both public entities and private businesses in the Wachusett region that were involved with wood removals. After conducting interviews and collecting data we were able to identify all the possible stakeholders that are involved with wood sources in the area. Based on our findings, we recommended proposing a wood aggregation hub to the town of Princeton to utilize this underused resource and improve sustainability across the Wachusett region.