Project marks first time blockchain technology
has been applied to a mass timber project
ATLANTA, Oct. 24,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Norfolk Southern Corporation
(NYSE: NSC), today announced it would provide timber for the
construction of a Department of Forestry and Environmental
Conservation building project at Clemson
University. The majority of the wood used for the
state-of-the-art building will be longleaf pine harvested from the
Brosnan Forest, a 14,400-acre timber and wildlife preserve near
Charleston, S.C.
The building project will help serve the Southeast as an
education and research hub for wood-based construction, sustainable
building practices, and will develop the next generation of
forestry and environmental leaders.
This collaboration also highlights Norfolk Southern's commitment
to workforce development as part of a larger collaboration with
Clemson. The university has been a priority source of talent for
Norfolk Southern for over a decade. In the last five years, Norfolk
Southern has supported Clemson with grants and other gifts totaling
over $50,000.
"Norfolk Southern employs over forty Clemson alumni who make an impact across our
organization every day," said Kristin
Wong, Director of the NS Foundation & Community Impact.
"We're proud of our longstanding relationship with Clemson and look
forward to our continued collaboration on both higher education and
sustainability."
The project is significant for its use of longleaf pine, a tree
species native to the Southeastern United
States known for its durable wood ideal for use in
construction applications. The diverse longleaf pine ecosystem,
once accounting for 90 million acres of the Southeast, now spans
just three million acres. By using sustainable forestry methods and
strategic partnerships with leading forestry organizations like The
Longleaf Alliance, the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities,
and Milliken Advisors, Norfolk Southern's Brosnan Forest is
safeguarding the future of this important tree species.
"This wood is not only special because it is longleaf pine, but
because it is the result of a long and fruitful collaborative
relationship between Norfolk Southern and Clemson," said
Patricia Layton, Director of the
Clemson University Wood Utilization
& Design Institute. "The building where it will be used will
serve as a showcase for wood construction and will be the
instructional space for future leaders in the forestry and natural
resources industries"
By responsibly harvesting the longleaf pine for use in Clemson's
new building project, Norfolk Southern hopes to successfully
demonstrate the superiority of the species for use in
infrastructure development.
"We are excited to support Clemson and shine a light on the
ecological and durability benefits of longleaf pine," said
Josh Raglin, Norfolk Southern's
Chief Sustainability Officer. "It will serve as a proof-point for
the practical uses of longleaf pine in industrial settings, further
demonstrating the importance of sustaining a pine species vital to
South Carolina's ecosystem."
Another unique feature of the collaboration is its use of
first-of-its-kind blockchain technology. Chainparency's GoTrace
platform is being used to track the timber as it moves through the
supply chain starting with its harvest at Brosnan Forest then to
Collum's Lumber Mill in Allendale,
S.C. and SmartLam in Dothan,
Ala. for processing before finally arriving in Clemson, S.C.
The project highlights a strong collaboration between numerous
entities all working toward the common goal of promoting healthy
forests and sustainable building practices.
For more information about Norfolk Southern's commitment to
sustainable business practices, click here.
About Norfolk Southern
Since 1827, Norfolk Southern
Corporation (NYSE: NSC) and its predecessor companies have safely
moved the goods and materials that drive the U.S. economy. Today,
it operates a customer-centric and operations-driven freight
transportation network. Committed to furthering sustainability,
Norfolk Southern helps its customers avoid approximately 15 million
tons of yearly carbon emissions by shipping via rail. Its dedicated
team members deliver more than 7 million carloads annually, from
agriculture to consumer goods. Norfolk Southern also has the most
extensive intermodal network in the eastern U.S. It serves a
majority of the country's population and manufacturing base, with
connections to every major container port on the Atlantic coast as
well as major ports in the Gulf of
Mexico and Great Lakes. Learn more by visiting
www.NorfolkSouthern.com.
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SOURCE Norfolk Southern Corporation