Skinny wood key material in new bridge in Missoula, MT

A new public bridge in Missoula (Montana) is apparently the first of its kind.

Wood used in the Rattlesnake Creek Bridge is so skinny, it’s usually passed over for construction projects.

Dean Graham, a retired Forest Service worker who has been active in the bridge project, says buildings and kiosks have been built using the six-inch-diameter material, but never a bridge.

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Skinny wood key material in new bridge

By SUSAN GALLAGHER
Associated Press Writer

Workers on Wednesday put the finishing touches on a public bridge that spans a Missoula stream and shows what can be done with wood so skinny it ordinarily is passed over for construction projects.

The Rattlesnake Creek Bridge features wood from small-diameter trees damaged by beetles in Idaho’s Nez Perce National Forest. The bridge owned by the city of Missoula and connecting with a trail to the Rattlesnake National Recreation Area and Wilderness was built for pedestrians, bicyclists and people on horseback.

"There have been buildings and kiosks built out of this 6-inch-diameter material, but this is the first bridge," said Dean Graham, who retired from the U.S. Forest Service in Missoula last year. Graham worked in a program promoting use of small wood and has remained active in the bridge project. Construction began in late 2005.

Full Story: http://www.magicvalley.com/news_other/news_idaho/?storyid=/dynamic/stories/M/MT_SKINNY_WOOD_BRIDGE_IDOL-