Wood Burner

Wood burners, also known as "wigwam burners" due to their conical shape, were once common at sawmills throughout the Pacific Northwest, where they were used to incinerate the enormous excess of sawdust and scraps that was a byproduct of every mill. As a result of the passage of environmental legislation in the 1970s that outlawed their use, these unique structures are quickly vanishing from the American landscape.

Through extraordinary photographs that recall the work of Bernd and Hilla Becher, as well as through essays, photographs, drawings, and maps, Wood Burners examines the history and typology of this little-known vernacular architecture. This intriguing study follows the format of our highly successful title Grain Elevators.