Norfolk Southern's Brosnan Forest Provides Timber for New Academic Building at Clemson University

PRNewswire 24-Oct-2024 8:30 AM

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