Sustainability

The circular life cycle of a campus tree

UM’s reclaimed wood program turns dying trees into lasting stories.

Two cantilevered benches in the foyer of the John A. Russel building.
Estimated Read Time:
3 minutes
Cantilevered benches in the foyer of the John A. Russel building.
Cantilevered benches in the foyer of the John A. Russel building.
Estimated Read Time:
3 minutes

If you look closely at some of the benches on the UM campus, you may notice a small marking on the side. The “Can-it-Lever” mark signifies the bench has a campus tree in its family history.

These benches dot the campus. They have their design roots in a Faculty of Architecture project, but have grown to become a UM sustainability success story.

What’s so special? These benches are made of reclaimed wood from UM’s urban forest.

Close-up of the Can-it-Lever mark on the side of a bench made from reclaimed wood.
Can-it-Lever benches.
Two reclaimed wood bench.

Reimagining dying trees

When trees are diseased or damaged they pose a risk to people or property, and the rest of the tree canopy. Sadly, they may need to be removed.  

But their story doesn’t end there. Many of these trees have been reclaimed for use as benches, sculptures and more.

“The idea of reclaiming lumber on campus first came up in 2018, when several iconic willows along Saunderson Street had to be removed,” says Vanessa Jukes Strutt of Architectural and Engineering Services, who spearheaded the project.

Unfortunately, willow isn’t suitable for milling, so the idea was put on hold.  

However, in 2019, the opportunity resurfaced during riverbank stabilization work. “As part of that work, several additional trees had to be removed which allowed the project to move forward,” says Jukes Strutt. 

The journey of a tree

UM has a vast tree canopy that covers 29 hectares – or 10 per cent – of the Fort Garry campus. As they age, and hastened by disease or damage, many of these trees will die.

After providing a lifetime of shade and bird habitat, once the diseased or dying tree has been removed, it takes on new life through UM’s reclaimed wood program.

Since 2018, UM has diverted 120 logs from landfill and milled them – some of them right here on campus.

A stack of logs and boards in a field.
A bench in progress.
A bench being installed on a gravel pathway.
From logs through construction to installation of the Can-it-Lever benches.

How it works

UM maintains an inventory of trees, managed by the Campus Planning Office and the UM arborist. When trees are slated for removal, they are often reused in various forms across the campus.  

Due to milling parameters, only those with at least a nine-foot straight length and 10-inch diameter are flagged for the reclaimed lumber inventory. Trees that do not meet these parameters are flagged for other options. 

Reuse projects may include indoor and outdoor furnishings like the Can-It-Lever benches, tables, sculpture, wall finishes and general use lumber, says Jukes Strutt.  

Smaller wood will become available to UM stakeholder groups for use in wood-fired kilns, ceremony fires and more.  

Trees suffering from decay, along with brush and stumps, are chipped and used for mulch in planting areas on campus. 

Turning a tree into a bench

Inspired by a cantilevered bench design developed in 2016 by Jason Hare — a researcher and former FABLab coordinator at the Faculty of Architecture — in collaboration with architecture students and staff, the bench design has been refined over time.

But before getting to design, you need to do the work before the work, says Kellen Deighton, Fabrication Facilities Coordinator with the Faculty of Architecture.

First, an arborist or forestry technician performs the skilled task of cutting down the tree.

The logs are then milled, stacked and organized by species, and slowly air-dried outdoors for at least a year.  

Next, the boards are kiln-dried to remove any additional moisture and then flattened and planed so that they can be transformed into a finished product.

This process can take months or years.

“At this point, the material is ready for furniture or other products,” says Deighton.   

Did you know?

The Office of Sustainability uses reclaimed wood to create the wood plaques for the UM Sustainability Awards. 

In 2025 and 2026, the awards were milled and printed in the Operations and Maintenance carpentry shop.

A place to rest and enjoy campus

Since that first bench was produced in 2016, the design has evolved.  

Construction industry partners, an engineering graduate student, and an architecture co-op student all played a role in modifying the design before the benches started appearing on campus.  

So, the next time you enjoy a rest on a campus bench, consider its history. It may well have provided you with shade in another life. 

We pursue sustainability in its many forms—societal, cultural, economic, environmental. Building a sustainable future is among the commitments you’ll find in MomentUM: Leading change together, the University of Manitoba’s 2024–2029 strategic plan.