This course will examine material origins and the ethics of material consumption as it pertains to wood construction. Wood has been one of the most popular building materials, alongside clay and stone, for thousands of years. As a natural material, it is the perfect expression of our intimate connection with the world in which we live. In fact, no other plant species is as dear to humanity as the tree. To that end, students will enact the process of how a tree, a perennial plant with an elongated stem, becomes a log, a part of the trunk of a tree that has fallen, and finally becomes timber, wood prepared for use in building or carpentry. If we examine history, most, if not all of the technological innovations surrounding the logging industry have been attempts to standardize and homogeneous the material. That is, to kill the plant so it will behave and perform in a predictable and consistent manner – to strip it of its ‘wood-ness’.  As a counterpoint to this historical trend, the course will aim to embrace the living, unpredictable, and irregular features inherent to all trees and design experiments will attempt to capitalize on these bizarre and eccentric qualities.  Through deep experiential, off-site, and hands-on learning, this course will attempt to rekindle the omnipresent relationship between people and wood.