Seven Generations Wood: Project WFI saw much progress over the course of 2025. There were many lab-scale tests, expansion of literature review and methodologies, and coordination with external laboratories and partners all of which culminated in the first bench-scale production of WFI board samples that will undergo performance and durability testing at the NRC laboratories in Ottawa. Before moving into 2026, where sample production and testing will be accelerated, here is an overview of some of the highlights from this project in 2025:

-The project was presented at four conferences in three countries.

-Two refining trials of three kinds of CRD wood waste were conducted at Innotech Alberta to test the feasibility of using mixed wood waste―including structural plywood―as a feedstock for thermomechanical pulping.

-The method for producing WFI panels bound with hydrolyzed keratin fibres was developed and refined allowing for the production of several preliminary samples.

-A paper based on this project’s literature review and case study of the usability of Metro Vancouver waste wood for WFI production was submitted for publication. 

Overall, 2025 has seen major progress in the continued development of this project and 2026 will build on that work to have even more tangible results for producing WFI from CRD wood waste. This work would not have been possible without the continued support from the National Research Council of Canada, the technical expertise of the researchers at InnotechAlberta, my advisors and peers at UBC, and all those who have expressed interest and curiosity in being able to make use of our valuable wasted resources.

I recently went on a tour of the Ecowaste Wood Material Recovery Facility to collect samples of wood chips for potential feedstock for defibration studies as the first step in an upcoming wood fibre insulation project. The Ecowaste MRF collects solid and composite wood waste from construction and demolition drop-offs then transfers the to the MRF where it is hammermilled, striped of metal contaminants, chipped, sifted of plastics, then chipped again. The chips are stored briefly onsite before they are sold on to end users. In 2024, Ecowaste has sold all of its chipped wood waste to Kruger for energy production. This stock of material represents a significant potential feedstock for wood fibre insulation production, and future testing will determine its suitability.

Below are some images of the site tour. Thank you to Nabil Drissi El Bouzaidi for taking the time to tour me around the site.

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credit: Kaia Nielsen-Roine

Seven generations for Wood is currently developing a Guidebook of Design for Deconstruction in Light Wood Frame Construction. The guidebook will elaborate on the design for deconstruction system that was developed in the seven generations wood thesis project and will illustrate deconstruction principles and solutions for a range of building elements. A new deconstructable mock will also be built to assess and showcase the design logics. Go to Design4Deconstruction to see the full project and all updates.

This is the beginning of the Seven Generations for Wood research project blog. This page will update periodically as the research progresses.