Gem Lake Privy | 2024

The project is a proof-of-concept research project supported by the Nature Conservancy and an internal CU Denver SEED grant to study small-diameter timber in Colorado forests. The underlying issue is these trees—mainly lodgepole and ponderosa pines—have a relatively small trunk diameter, creating low lumber yields that make harvesting relatively unprofitable. 

Using small-diameter trees harvested from recent fires in Rocky Mountain National Park, a new remotely deployable, mass timber, urine diversion backcountry privy was installed on the Gem Lake Trail in June 2024. It was constructed from 30 free-standing dead trees, sequestering 1.9 tons of carbon in its screw-laminated mass timber walls. The structure uses the humble "D" log, a high-yield, easily reproducible, small-diameter timber that can be fabricated by the park service employees and transported by mule (when the timbers are less than five feet in length) to remote project locations throughout the park. The charred wood and beetle kill timbers blend into the sensitive landscape, minimizing the structure's visual impact on hikers using the trails. The screw-lamination assembly also allows for easy disassembly and reassembly should the wood require replacement. 

The Gem Lake Privy was initially planned for the 2018 ColoradoBuildingWorkshop student-led design-build project. While the privies on the Longs Peak Trail were built, this location was put on hold. Four of the five students from that project returned as alumni and helped construct the structure, a testament to their dedication to the project and the program.