Who We Are and Why
At WholeTrees we believe in the regenerative potential of structural round timber harvested from well-managed forests and supplied to construction job sites via regional forestry and fabrication networks. The built environment needs low embodied carbon/carbon sequestering materials, and our planet needs climate-smart forestry. Using the inherent strength of structural round timber and millions of years of organic structural engineering, we provide beautiful, affordable, and durable biophilic structural systems which also restore forests.
WholeTrees Structures was founded in 2007 on an off-grid forest farm in Southwest Wisconsin. Using solar panels and a generator, the founding team brought CAD and BIM to structural round timber, and fabricated first-of-their kind structural systems for projects nationwide. The company successfully paired the architectural and strategic accomplishments of its founders with decades of data from the USDA Forest Products Laboratory (Madison, WI) to demonstrate modern applications for structural round timber in commercial settings.
WholeTrees is now headquartered in Madison, WI, has a Seattle, WA division to manage west coast sales, and purchases timber thinnings from trusted forestry operations in the Midwest, Pacific Northwest and New England. We continue to inspire new construction markets toward the innate strength and beauty of structural round timber as the original mass timber. We also overlay technology such as 3D scanning and nondestructive evaluation to the analysis, inventory and sales of this abundant bi-product of well-managed forests.
Mission & Vision

WholeTrees® builds prosperous relationships with forests and communities
Mission:
Vision:
Be the guiding brand in restorative commercial construction, a regenerative inspiration for the forest products industry and leading pioneers of woodland stewardship.
Do this in the following ways:
- Translate for the building industry the brilliant structural capacity of unmilled trees via products, processes, technology and always unprecedented project management.
- Sell to emerging commercial markets for cull-trees from well-managed forests, inspire the forest products industry to expand these markets and own the production processes and technologies to scale.
WholeTrees Team
Staff

Amelia Swan Baxter

Derek Mayhew

Paul Drace

Robert Mini

Richard Senior

Chelsea Duckworth

Touson Saryon

Owen Hoffman

Jeremy Crowther

Brad Crary

Kara Holzmiller

Aaron Van Loo

Sam Anderson

Danny Howes

Moose and Lenny
Collaborators

Jason Dorn

Tom Gorman, Ph.D., P.E.

Russell Miller-Johnson, P.E.

Amie Sullivan, SE

Aurimas Bukauskas

Luella Schmidt
Education
Professional CEUs and Presentations
We are at a turning point in the world of construction. Sustainability, natural materials, regional sourcing, and carbon costs are increasingly important factors. Against this backdrop, small-diameter round timber from sustainably managed forests is a viable structural material for commercial construction.
Prerequisite Knowledge: A basic understanding of different structural systems and building types. A basic understanding of the regulatory systems in one's local jurisdiction such as what version of the IBC has been adopted.
HSW Justification: Studies increasingly provide measurable data for what most know intrinsically, people are happier and healthier when exposed to nature, natural materials, and natural systems. Using biophilic design patterns and sustainably sourced natural materials, architects, engineers, and other AEC professionals can create built environments that improve the physical health and mental well-being while also providing positive environmental benefits.
Learning Objective 1: Participants will be able to name structures, systems, and building types built using small-diameter round timber and identify where round timber can bring biophilic advantages as a structural or decorative material.
Learning Objective 2: Participants will be able to identify a benefit to forest ecosystems and regional economies from building with small-diameter round timber.
Learning Objective 3: Participants will be able to use the performance benefits a small-diameter round timber structural systems (including strength, carbon calculation, fire failure mode, and life cycle performance) in their projects to design hybrid systems with mixed materials.
Learning Objective 4: Participants will be able to cite advantages of building with small-diameter round timber based on research at the USDA Forest Products Lab.
Would you like to learn more about specifying WholeTrees into your projects for upcoming clients? We would be happy to provide a lunch and learn for your staff. Send us an email at [email protected] with your needs for an educational session in person or via webinar.
Contact
Seattle Division:
Seattle, WA
Inventory Operations:
