Tech vs. Trees: Swiss researchers use AI to turn low-quality wood into load-bearing panels, US Constitution and other founding texts could be this summer's literary trend, California company creates peat-moss substitute from forest biomass

May 2, 2025 (Industry Intelligence Inc.) –

A roundup of recent trends pitting technology against the printed word:

Trees: Swiss researchers use AI to turn low-quality wood into load-bearing panels

Thanks to an AI-optimized process, lower quality wood could be transformed into load-bearing wooden panels that offer a sustainable construction alternative. Researchers at Empa and ETH Zurich have developed such a technique by combining AI with traditional Alpine shingle production methods to optimize material quality. The chipless wood processing method converts lower-quality wood, including hardwood, into wooden sticks, according to an Empa release on April 10. Afterward, an automated camera system captures detailed images of each wooden bar, which are then analyzed by a neural network for key properties like stiffness, shape or wood type. The AI-driven analysis enables precise sorting and utilization, ensuring the final panels meet mechanical standards for load-bearing applications. “Our process has the potential to offer a sustainable alternative for the use of wood in times of accelerating climate change,” said Ingo Burgert, professor at ETH Zurich. 

Trees: US Constitution and other founding texts could be this summer’s literary trend

Your next summer read may not feature wizards or celebrities, but 18th century documents written by America’s founding fathers. That’s because readers have bought 162,000 combined copies of the US Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and the Federalist Papers through mid-April, up from 58,000 copies in 2024 and 33,000 copies in 2023. Publishers appear to be paying attention. Random House’s Modern Library imprint is rushing out two new hardcovers—an edition of the Declaration of Independence paired with the US Constitution in July and a Federalist Papers volume in November. Other publishers, including Skyhorse, Penguin and Barnes & Noble, have released competing public-domain editions, The Associated Press reported April 23. Sales of founding documents climb whenever politics heat up or anniversaries loom, such as the Declaration of Independence’s 250th anniversary in 2026, said Shannon DeVito, Barnes & Noble’s senior director of book strategy.
 

Trees: California company creates peat-moss substitute from forest biomass

A California company’s project to process biomass from western forests into a peat-moss substitute has received a $50,000 grant to conduct a pilot. Plumas Wood Fiber will partner with Earthworm Soil Factory on producing samples for distribution to horticultural stakeholders, according to an April 25 company release. The growth trials will assess whether the wood-based peat substitute is a useful ingredient in commercial scale horticulture—for filling thousands of nursery pots of food crops and other plants. If successful, the innovation could reduce wildfire risk by repurposing excess forest biomass. Funding for the project came from Conservative X Labs Program, which will award grand prizes to three of the finalists in January 2026.