A University of Nebraska–Lincoln project exploring the potential use of eastern redcedar as a construction material has received a $6,500 grant from the Nebraska Environmental Trust.

Jason Griffiths

The grant will fund development of a demonstration building. The project aims to accomplish the following: demonstrate benefits to the economy for local agricultural, construction and forestry industry; establish a model for harvesting and deployment of eastern redcedar “in the field” that will resolve the current problem of large distances and harvesting; and demonstrate redcedar construction can reduce embodied energy in building material cost through season growth, harvesting, milling and charring cycles.

The project also will explore redcedar’s potential as a “mass-timber” product; its potential for new building typologies such as ag buildings, vacation homes and “microdwellings”; and whether shou-suig-ban charred surface can be a sustainable solution to weathering problems and insect infestation, said Jason Griffiths, W. Cecil Steward Professor of Architecture and project lead.

The Nebraska Legislature created the NET in 1992. Using revenue from the Nebraska Lottery, the trust has provided more than $349 million in grants to more than 2,400 projects across the state. Anyone — citizens, organizations, communities, farmers and businesses — can apply for funding to protect habitat, improve water quality and establish recycling programs in Nebraska. The NET works to preserve, protect and restore the state’s natural resources for future generations.