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What the Forest Products Laboratory Does
for You
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Who Are
We?
Established in 1910
by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest
Service, the Forest Products Laboratory
(FPL) in Madison Wisconsin, serves the
public as the nation's leading wood research
institute. FPL is recognized both nationally
and internationally as an unbiased technical
authority on wood science and use. Our
research is concentrated in one location
to promote an interdisciplinary approach
to problem solving. FPL cooperates with
many universities, industries, and federal
and state agencies.
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What Do We Do?
Today, more than 250 scientists
and support staff conduct research on
expanded and diverse aspects of wood use. Research concentrates
on pulp and paper products, housing and structural uses of
wood, wood preservation, wood and fungi identification, and
finishing and restoration of wood products. In addition to
traditional lines of research, FPL is responding to environmental
pressures on the forest resource by using cutting-edge techniques
to study recycling, develop environmentally friendly technology,
and understand ecosystem-based forest management. |
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How Have We Helped?
Throughout its history, FPL's
focus on conservation of wood fiber has affected almost every
sector of the wood products industry while benefiting society
and the environment as well. Early research on preservatives
extended the life of railroad ties, reducing demand by 75
percent. FPL research increased average lumber yield per
log from 25 percent to 60 percent. Today, work on new recycling
technology, is creating a new fiber resource, reducing pressure
on our precious forests. |
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Who Benefits?
The Forest Products Laboratory
dedicates itself to solving societal problems related to
the forest and its products by using the best scientific
resources available. FPL is the public side of the public-private
partnership needed to create technology for the long-term
sustainability of our forests. According to a recent study,
tax dollar investments in forest products research generated
as much as a 300 percent return to society. |
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Why Care About
Wood? The forest plays
a vital role in our society. It supplies many values,
including the raw materials for paper products, construction
materials, and beneficial chemicals. We depend upon forests
for a healthy environment and a healthy economy. |
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