Could Lab Grown Wood Help Solve the Deforestation Problem?

We’ve followed some developments of lab grown meat, but this is the first we’ve heard of lab grown wood.  The idea sounds strange or even unnecessary on its surface, but the concept behind it speaks to interesting innovation that could possibly lead to less deforestation or clear cutting.

Luis Fernando Velásquez-García, a researcher art MIT is exploring the way wood tissue could grow in a lab, much faster and more controlled than in nature. And by growing wood in specific shapes, you’d avoid the need to trim cylindrical trees into boards or planks, further eliminating waste.

Fast Company has further reading about this process, and the way lab-created products like wood tissue could change the way we use natural resources.