Promotion: the American Hardwood Export Council and design journal Disegno's podcast returns for a fourth season exploring the relationship between wood and the design industry.

Word on Woods podcast focuses on "unexpected and timely" topics, with each episode including an interview with a leading designer, architect, manufacturer or forestry expert.

The latest season will launch with an exploration of veneer, which the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) says is an overlooked timber product.

The premier will examine the material's potential and how contemporary designers are using it in "experimental and playful directions".

Speakers include designers Jorge Penadés and Rio Kobayashi, and Cathy Lynn Danzer, sustainability and compliance counsel at timber manufacturer Danzer.

"The episode explores the design potential of this thinly sliced material and how a new generation of practitioners are pushing it in experimental and playful directions," said AHEC.

The second episode focuses on what AHEC and Disegno believe architectural education lacks when it comes to curriculum on wood and timber. AHEC says that different wood species have varying properties and that architects must be provided with this information during their training.

The episode's speakers include educators Kenn Busch, Hanif Kara and Izaskun Chinchilla Moreno.

The fourth season will also include "Making Shorts", a series of shorter podcasts examining the various production techniques for designing and building with timber.

"These bite-sized episodes zoom into production techniques for timber, providing concise case studies through interviews with designers on the making processes behind specific projects," said AHEC.

The first Making Shorts podcast examines CNC milling and explains its connections to traditional hand carving. Speakers include designers Trent Jansen, Tanya Singer and Errol Evans ,who explain how they use high-tech milling machines to create a series of sculptural furniture "that tell stories about the climate crisis".

Making Shorts also includes designer Anna Maria Øfstedal Eng speaking about her process of creating furniture with a chainsaw, and designers Inma Bermudez and Moritz Krefter discussing working with waste timber.

Word on Woods was launched in 2021 in a bid to create an upfront dialogue between industries exploring all things wood-related. In 2022, the podcast won the Best Podcast award from Archiboo Awards.

"Venturing into the world's forests, sites of timber production, and design and architecture studios, the podcast examines how these industries intersect through material," said AHEC.

AHEC is an international hardwood trade association for North America, which champions "the performance, sustainability and aesthetic potential of American hardwoods worldwide". AHEC markets over 20 commercially available hardwood species across the globe.

Disegno is an international journal that produces long-form journalism focused on design. It produces two pieces biannually.

Word on Wood is available to listen to on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

Partnership content

This article was written by Dezeen for AHEC as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.