State & Private Forestry
Forest Products Laboratory
The Forest Products Conservation & Recycling Review is assembled and edited monthly by Adele Olstad and John Zerbe of the FPC&R; Technology Marketing Unit at the Forest Products Laboratory (FPL). Review contributions and correspondence may be sent to either Adele or John at the address below. For copies of FPL or North Central Forest Experiment Station publications,
contact FPL Information Services at the same address.
The individual items included in the Review reflect the content and tone of the original articles. Inclusion of an item does not
imply agreement nor endorsement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture of facts or opinions contained in any article. The Review does
not evaluate the accuracy of the information reported.
Forest Products Laboratory
One Gifford Pinchot Drive
Madison, WI 53705-2398
Phone: (608)231-9200
FAX: (608)231-9592
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Dr. Urs Buehlmann Joins Department of Wood and Paper Science at North Carolina State University as an assistant professor and wood products extension specialist. Buehlmann will lead the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service's effort to develop educational programs in resource conservation, recycling of wood products, and industry-related industrial engineering issues. Major components of the program will include source reduction, wood fiber recycling, economic feasibility studies, wood fiber collection and marketing opportunities, and product and process development for recycled fiber.
Buehlmann earned Master's and Doctoral degrees from Virginia Tech, as well as an engineering degree from the Swiss School of Engineering for the Wood Industry and a cabinetmaking degree from the Vocational School of Thun, both in Switzerland. He previously worked as an assistant professor for industrial engineering in the Department of Wood Science at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver.
Buehlmann can be reached by phone at 919–515–5580; Fax: 919–515–8739; or e-mail: Urs_Buehlmann@ncsu.edu.
The 3rd National Forest Service Reunion, hosted by the Northern Rocky Mountain Retirees' Association, will take place on September 4–8 in Missoula, MT. Reunion 2000 is designed for all retired and active Forest Service employees, spouses, and guests. Dale Bosworth, regional forester for the Northern Region, will welcome attendees. A panel consisting of former Forest Service Chiefs Max Peterson, Dale Robertson, and Jack Ward Thomas will then provide a perspective on the past and the future. A segment entitled "The Way We Were" will feature skits and accounts of personal experiences delivered by the men and women who lived the stories. The second day will feature the dedication of the National Museum of Forest Service History; and the third day is devoted to touring local sites of historic significance.
The basic registration fee is $55 for each Forest Service retiree or employee, plus $45 for each spouse or guest. Registration materials are available from Forest Service retiree organizations, Regional Offices, Research Station headquarters, and the Washington Office headquarters. The information packet is also available from two Internet sites: the Forest Service Retirees web site (www.fsx.org/home.htm) and the Bitter Root RC&D; website (www.bitterroot.net/brc&d;/brrcd.htm). For more information, contact Jim Freeman at 406-961-3959 or the Bitter Root RC&D; at 406-363-5450, ext. 117.
The U.S. Forest Inventory System, which provides information for accurate and timely assessments
of forest ecosystems, is moving from a periodic to an annual basis as mandated by the Farm Bill of 1998 and
advocated by many in the forestry profession. The challenges of this mandate are considerable. The primary
focus is on the Forest Service's Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program. The Society of American Foresters (SAF)
devoted the entire December issue of the Journal of Forestry to highlighting the work and thought that will take forest
inventory work into the 21st century. This issue covers the history of forest survey sample designs and current
regional work to a call for action. For a review of the issue, see the "Journal of Forestry: Previous Issue
Highlights" section at SAF's website
(www.safnet.org/pubs/jof/highlights-2h99.htm).
[Source: Journal of Forestry, December 1999]
Upcoming Training Opportunities provided by the Continuing Education Coordinating Committee for Forestry and Range (Oregon and Washington):
NA to Establish State and Private Forestry Information Center -- According to Michael Rains,
director of the USDA Forest Service's Northeastern Area (NA), the St. Paul field office will take the lead
in developing a State and Private Forestry Information Center. Although the purpose of the center is
to serve the information needs of the NA, it could evolve into a national center for State and Private Forestry.
The Washington Office (WO) expressed interest in such a center to facilitate fast and accurate responses
to information requests from the White House and Congress that are frequently received by the WO.
In addition to developing three corporate databases related to congressional operations, urban and
community forestry, and forest legacy programs, the St. Paul field office will also take responsibility
for updating and maintaining the NA website (www.fs.fed.us/na).
[Source: Northeastern Area News Notes, February 23, 2000]
The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFISM) Program 2000 Summer Conference is scheduled
for June 19-21 in Portland, OR. For more information, contact Suzanne Mangino at 202-463-2746.
[Source: The Timber Producer, March 2000]
Upsurge in Retrieval of "Sinker" Logs -- Retrieval of logs from rivers, lakes, ponds, and other bodies of water has increased with the marketing success for the lumber produced from this resource. According to Pete Lammert, utilization forester with the Maine Forest Service, another dimension has been added to underwater logging: retrieval of logs from a major river in Maine that had been used in the framework of the Edwards Dam. A Portland company that specializes in transforming antique wood into high-end furniture and woodwork has agreed to buy the logs, which have been underwater for 162 years. The logs could yield approximately 1.5 to 2 million board feet (fbm) of lumber--enough to make more than 40,000 dining room tables. [Note: 1 fbm = 0.00236 m³; based on nominal, not actual, measurement.] A portion of this wood will be made into flooring material to be sold to architects and designers and used in office buildings, stores, and houses; some will be sold to companies for use as wood trim, floors, ceilings, and fixtures in retail stores; and some of the high-grade material might be used to make parts of violins and pianos. The majority of this retrieved wood will be turned into furniture.
When the Edwards Dam was built in 1837, it was among the largest dams in the world. Its cribwork was made of
logs held together with iron and wooden pins. For ballast, the cribs were filled with gravel. The logs ranged from
12 to 16 ft (3.7 to 4.9 m) long with 12- to 30-in. (30.5- to 76.2-cm) diameters. Most of the logs were pine, spruce,
and hemlock, with smaller amounts of maple, birch, and other hardwoods. Although submerged for 162 years, the
wood sawn from some logs is in fine shape; minerals from the water have enhanced the color and patina of the
wood.
[Source: Pete Lammert, Maine Forest Service, Augusta, and Portland Press Herald, November 11, 1999]
American Exports Losing Ground in International Competition -- In November 1999, the
Center for International Trade in Forest Products (CINTRAFOR) hosted the 16th annual International
Wood Products Marketing Conference where the issue of rising competition for international trade
in forest products was discussed. As domestic timber restrictions become more stringent, prices
for U.S. timber have risen, which has opened the door for other suppliers to increase their share
of international timber markets. European suppliers now supply 27% of the Japanese lumber market.
Finnish and Swedish mills, in particular, have increased their share of the Japanese
market through their ability to produce products to suit customer requirements. According to Bob Flynn
of Robert Flynn and Associates, South American suppliers are becoming more formidable sources
of competition as well. Not only have lumber and moulding exports from Brazil and Chile to the
United States reached record levels, but several countries are increasing their plantation area
and attracting substantial foreign investments.
[Source: CINTRAFOR News, Spring 2000]
ITTO Projects Chinese Demand for Tropical Timber -- A study conducted by the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) has predicted the following trends for Chinese tropical wood imports:
Initial Boost for New Housing Starts --The housing industry started the year
at a strong pace, with January housing starts running counter to expectations of most analysts.
As a result of strong activity in multifamily unit construction, January's seasonally adjusted
annual rate for housing starts increased 1.5%. Some observers attribute this activity to an attempt
to beat the effects of rising interest rates. With the mild weather across the country, housing starts
in the Midwest were 25% higher than those a year ago. However, in both the West and South, new
homebuilding fell below the 1999 levels.
[Source: Random Lengths, February 18, 2000]
Paper Consumption Will Continue to Rise Worldwide and the paper industry will thrive,
according to a report from the Boston Consulting Group. Although publishing on the Web will gain
prominence and more people are using e-mail, many readers still prefer hard copy. Harri Andersson,
the firm's vice president, said predictions that electronic media will replace paper-based media are
often excessive. "Readers like the portability and privacy of print media," he said.
[Source: The Timber Producer, February 2000]
Review of UN Priorities Affects Worldwide Timber Production -- The 40th session of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations Advisory Committee on Paper and Wood Products was held on April 27-28, 1999, in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The meeting focused on discussions of such issues as sustainable forestry, forest certification, the role of plantations, the Kyoto protocol, forests as carbon reservoirs, and fiber and wood availability. One objective was to learn about issues that will be the subject of studies and priorities by the United Nations and FAO.
The FAO has recently published the 1999 State of the World Forests and a global fiber supply model. Olman Serrano, chief of the FAO Wood and Non-Wood Products Utilization Branch, stated that this model combines knowledge, statistics, and projections and reflects the cooperation of many participants. The model is also a framework for useful information about fiber supply in 160 countries and in global regions such as Asia, Latin America, North America, and Asia Pacific. Since Latin America contains a high percentage of the world's forests, this region played an important role in the development of the model.
According to meeting organizers, the global economy, strong competition for market share, fluctuations of exchange rates, and high investment costs are responsible for dramatic changes in the forest-based industry. Latin America, although an important forest region worldwide, still has many opportunities to become a key player in this economic segment.
To learn more about the meeting in Brazil and about FAO, visit
www.fao.org/forestry or send e-mail to Olman Serrano at
olman.serrano@fao.org.
[Source: TAPPI Journal, March 2000]
Economic Modeling of Biomass Energy Crops -- Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Energy Division, in cooperation with the USDA Forest Service, is evaluating the economic impact of biomass energy crop production on the agricultural sector. New agricultural crops (such as switch grass, hybrid poplar, and willows) used to produce electricity, liquid fuels, and chemicals are being studied to reduce carbon emissions, to address other environmental issues such as soil erosion, chemical runoff and leaching, and wildlife habitat, and to assess economic issues, including farm profits and rural development.
In cooperation with the University of Tennessee, researchers are modifying an agricultural sector model, POLYSYS, to include biomass energy crops. The model will be used to evaluate the number of acres and quantities of biomass produced by location (Agricultural Statistical District (ASD)) at any given price level. It will also identify the volume of traditional crops displaced by biomass energy crop production in each ASD and estimate its impact on the quantity and price of the major crops (corn, wheat, soybeans, barley, oats, cotton, rice, sorghum). Finally, the model will estimate the effects of changing crop prices and quantities on net farm returns.
The analysis will also be used to evaluate the potential impact of hybrid poplar production on fiber markets for
paper and pulp, oriented strandboard, and other products. The modified POLYSYS model will be linked to Forest
Service fiber demand and supply models to evaluate the potential of hybrid poplars to become a major fiber
source and to displace harvesting in public and private forests.
[Source: Energy Division Progress Report: Fiscal Years 1996-1998, June 1999]
Old Newspapers (ONP) Lead in Curbside Recycling --Newspapers are the largest component by weight and volume of curbside recycling programs. From Monday to Saturday, 1,489 publishers in the United States sell more than 56 million newspapers. On Sunday, 897 American publishers sell more than 60 million papers. Waste generated from newspapers has increased by 6.4 million tons since 1960, although the solid waste share of newspaper decreased by 23%. Newspaper recycling increased by 5.5 million tons, and the recycling rate doubled during the same period.
Newspapers have also made important gains in source reduction. Newspaper standard basis weight was reduced from 32 lb/3,000 ft² (14.5 kg/278.7 m²) in 1974 to 30 lb/3,000 ft² (13.6 kg/278.7 m²) in 1995. Other contributions to source reduction include the printing of fewer copies in excess of paid subscriptions and the use of a smaller web printing press size to produce a smaller paper.
The largest market for ONP is the recycled newsprint industry. Thirty of 35 North American newsprint mills produce an end product with significant recycled content; 28% of the fiber in American newspapers comes from used newspapers. Exporting ONP to Canada and other countries is the next largest market, followed by boxboard packaging used for cereals, shoes, and other products. Other markets include cellulose insulation, animal bedding, egg cartons, and building material. Small percentages are used for printing and writing paper (2%) and tissue (7%). ONP is compostable—only traces of ink remain in the compost.
Today, 6.1 million tons or 3.9% of discarded municipal waste is ONP, which is either incinerated or landfilled.
ONP amounts to 15.3 million yd³ (11.7 million m³) or 3.6% of landfilled municipal solid waste volume.
[Source: Waste Age, March 2000]
Use of Recycled Wastepaper on the Rise -- An article in the February issue of The Timber Producer indicates that the use of recycled wastepaper to make new products climbed 1.2% in Wisconsin during 1996. The Wisconsin paper industry's consumption (2,538,000 tons) was second in the nation.
U.S. papermakers recycled 34,242,000 tons of recovered wastepaper into new products, a rise of 8.1%. Topping
the nation in recycled wastepaper use was Georgia with 3,485,000 tons, down 1.2%. California's paper
manufacturers ranked third with an increase of 0.3% to 2,307,000 tons. Rounding out the top five states were
Virginia, 2,175,000 tons (up 22.1%) and Louisiana, 1,928,000 tons (up 25.5%). Other top-ranking recycling states
were Michigan, 1,818,000 tons (up 1.6%); Tennessee, 1,693,000 tons (up 12.8%); and Ohio, 1,525,000 tons
(down 10%).
[Source: The Timber Producer, February 2000]
The Clean Air Fact Book is designed to provide resourceful information
to manufacturers for creating a safe and healthy work environment. The 20-page booklet features
simple, practical, and profitable guidelines for a cleaner workplace. Topics include clean air
regulations and compliance measures, air-cleaning technologies and mechanisms of action,
maintenance factors, and guidelines for making informed decisions. The booklet is
available free of charge from United Air Specialists, Inc., a manufacturer of air-cleaning and dust-collection
systems. To request a copy or for more information, call 800-992-4422 or visit
www.usainc.com.
[Source: The Timber Producer, December 1999]
The 1st World Conference and Exhibition on Biomass for Energy and Industry, a joint millennium event of the 11th European Conference on Biomass for Energy and Industry and the Biomass Conference of the Americas, will be held June 5-9 in Sevilla, Spain. The 5-day program will include plenary lectures describing the state-of-the-art in biomass technology; oral and poster presentations of specific research, development, demonstration, and commercial projects; exhibition of biomass products and utilization and conversion technologies; and scientific tours. In addition, workshops will be conducted on specific issues related to biomass, bioenergy schemes, and technology deployment. Visit the conference websites (www.etaflorence.it or www.wip-munich.de) for more information.
University of Michigan Forestry Building Undergoing "Green" Renovation --An article in the January/February 1999 issue of Environmental Design & Construction describes the renovation of the Dana Building on the University of Michigan campus. The Dana Building will change little in outward appearance, but it will hold 20% more usable space for the growing School of Natural Resources and Environment (SNRE). According to SNRE dean Daniel Mazmanian, students will learn not only in the building but from the building. Mazmanian views the renovation as an opportunity for the university to practice what it teaches by making environmental concerns a top priority. The renovation will involve the reuse of more than 5,000 brick pavers. Only certifiable, sustainably managed wood will be purchased, and surrounding trees and plants will be saved. Project planners have requested that contractors turn off equipment not being used; moreover, contractors need to pay for the electricity as an incentive to not waste energy. The planners also considered the entire life cycle of the products, such as embodied energy and heat insulation value of insulation materials. They used the least toxic products available for paint stripping and for refinishing walls, floors, and furniture.
Periodic updates on the progress of the renovation can be viewed at www.snre.umich.edu/greendana. Highlights to date and a few of the lessons learned during the renovation are also available.
Department of Energy (DOE) Names New National Laboratory -- On December 10, 1999, Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson designated DOE's Federal Energy Technology Center in Morgantown, WV and Pittsburgh, PA as the Department's newest national laboratory. The two research facilities, located 65 miles (105 km) apart but operated as a single entity, have been named the National Energy Technology Laboratory. Secretary Richardson noted that the new national laboratory is meant to complement the Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, CO. "Our energy portfolio must include a balanced mix of traditional and nontraditional fuels. We have established a national laboratory for renewable energy research; my action today will establish a complementary facility for fossil fuel research."
Robert C. Byrd, U.S. Senator from West Virginia, stated that the action to make the Federal Energy Technology
Center a national laboratory signals a recognition that fossil fuels must continue to be an important part of the
energy reservoir both nationally and internationally. Much of the Center's work is dedicated to the goal of
developing innovative, clean, and efficient technologies that will allow the nation to meet its growing energy
needs.
[Source: DOE This Month, January/February 2000]
Weyerhaeuser Seeks to Improve Kraft Pulping and Chemical Recovery With Black Liquor Gasification --
Gasification of black liquor in the kraft paper manufacturing process is being developed by the
Weyerhaeuser Company at its papermill in New Bern, NC. Compared to the Tomlinson steam power cycle,
black liquor gasification is estimated to enable even a modern mill to double its electrical energy generation.
Older, less efficient mills would achieve a greater benefit. On average, electrical generation for North American
mills could be increased by a factor of 4. However, the installed cost for the gasifier is estimated to be higher
than that of the currently used equipment. Weyerhaeuser received an energy award from TAPPI for its effort at New Bern.
[Source: TAPPI Journal 82(9): 45-50, 1999]
The 7th International Inorganic-Bonded Wood and Fiber Composite Materials Conference will be held September 25-27 in Sun Valley, ID. This conference is touted as a one-of-a-kind international opportunity to discuss the latest developments in technology, markets, and applications for a growing family of composites with enormous potential. Topics under consideration include preferred technologies, the competitive environment in fiber cement, potential shortages of gypsum board, embossing of panels, target markets in North America, use of "waste" as low-cost raw material, alternative fiber sources, strawboard products, calcium silicate technologies and markets, and inorganic composites. Products and services related to featured technologies and markets will be on exhibit. For more information, visit www.uidaho.edu/inorganic.
Stress-Laminated T-Beam Bridges Perform Well -- An increasingly popular wood bridge system is constructed of solid, laminated veneer lumber (LVL) T-beams that are stress laminated together. An evaluation program to monitor field performance of six bridges was implemented by the Wood In Transportation Program and the USDA Forest Service Forest Products Laboratory. An analytical evaluation was completed for each bridge using orthotropic plate analysis. Previous research had showed that stress-laminated decks could be accurately modeled as orthotropic plates, but additional investigation was needed to show that T-beam design criteria could parallel that for stress-laminated decks. The load test behavior of each bridge was also evaluated based on load vehicles and conditions, including the level of interlaminar compression at time of static load testing. For actual load tests, loaded test vehicles were positioned on the bridges and resulting deflection was measured. Analysis was also completed for the same load test conditions and transverse vehicle positions using standard truck loading as prescribed by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. The tests and analyses showed the following results:
Experimental Cultivation of Hemp Grown in Canada shows some profitability, but also problems. Farmers are attracted to hemp by high yields and strong prices. Yields averaged 800 lb (363 kg) or 17 to 22 bushels (0.6 m³ to 0.8 m³) of grain per acre in 1999, depending on a host of agricultural factors. One seed strain produced a world record for hemp grain, breaking the 1-ton/acre (0.4 hectare) mark. At 60¢/pound, hemp grain grosses on average Can$450 to Can$600 (US$308 to US$410) per acre. This compares quite favorably with the value of other crops; canola and wheat farmers roughly gross from Can$150 to Can$200 (US$103 to US$137) per acre. Under optimal conditions, hemp has much potential.
Growing hemp has proven to be the easy part, since the crop has little need for expensive herbicides and pesticides. Harvesting is the hard part. Hemp is tough on combines because the fibers have a tendency to wrap around moving parts and ignite. The dense growth of hemp also demands slow speeds at harvest. Some hemp fiber is processed and some baled and stockpiled, but most is burnt, composted, or plowed under as just another form of agricultural waste (like wheat straw and flax). High transportation costs and a lack of local infrastructure leave many farmers, especially those in western Canada, with no market for their straw.
Various groups across Canada are experimenting with other processes and end uses for hemp fiber, including fiberboard, building materials, hemp cement, textiles, and paper, but these products are not ready on a commercial scale. Processing is less of an issue for hemp oil and grain. Canada already has a thriving vegetable oil industry, and many growers and processors are using existing facilities.
Licensing and regulation are other problems. To date there is no charge for license applicants. However, farmers
must absorb one-time costs for obtaining global positioning system coordinates, as required for their application,
and pay for mandatory tetrahydrocannabinol (the chief intoxicant in marijuana) testing of their crop before
harvesting (0.3% in the field is the legal limit).
[Source: The Carbohydrate Economy, Fall 1999]
Quality Assurance for Residential Framing - The National Association of Home Builders' (NAHB)
Research Center and the Wood Truss Council of America (WTCA) are spearheading an effort to achieve
standard levels of quality assurance for residential framing. With funding from the Partnership for Advancing
Technology in Housing, the NAHB Center will soon release the ISO 9000 Quality Manual for Residential Framing,
which will include procedures for qualifying carpenters and work processes; ways to control the use of material, tools, and
equipment; job site inspection requirements; and quality improvement methods. WTCA is also preparing a
framing-carpenter training manual for builders.
[Source: Energy Design Update, March 2000]
A New Method for Chipping Wood for Mechanical Pulp has been invented by
Andreas Uymeier and a patent on the method has been assigned to STFI in Sweden.
U.S. Patent No. 6,003,572 discloses a new chipping method that produces thin chips with low chip
angles to irreversibly deform thick-walled fibers during the chipping process. A tool cuts the wood
in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the fibers. The cutting action selectively
acts on springwood (thin-walled fibers) and summerwood (thick-walled fibers). The flattened thick-walled fibers
require less refining than thin-walled fibers and reduce overrefining of thin-walled fibers, resulting in more
uniform mechanical pulps. A rotating drum with interior cutting blades provides the desired chips.
[Source: TAPPI Journal 83(3): 25]
National Hardwood Lumber Association (NHLA) Training -- For further information, contact Mary Bartee at 800-933-0318; Fax: 901-382-6419; e-mail: info@natlhardwood.org; website: www.natlhardwood.org.
Virginia Tech Department of Wood Science and Forest Products Workshops -- Additional information or registration material is available from Fred Lamb at 540-231-7256 or by Fax 540-231-8868.
The importance of quality lumber drying is increasing as wood quality decreases and the market demands brightly colored material free of drying defects. The workshop is aimed at experienced drying personnel and supervisors. Topics include schedule modifications; modifying drying techniques and practices for today's woods; manipulating air velocity, temperature, and relative humidity to alter drying rates; techniques for controlling stain, warp, checking, moisture content variation, casehardening and longitudinal stress, and energy use; drying of mixed loads; and drying for quality. Predryers, steam dry kilns, and dehumidification dryers will be included in the discussions.
Designed for those who make technical decisions on wood processing. Topics include the changing timber resource and its impact on wood processing; structure and properties of wood that affect quality and processing; lumber grades; machining of wood; rough mill yields and analysis; shrinkage of wood and moisture relations; and troubleshooting of machining defects and wood moisture problems.
Contents
Forest Products Laboratory |
Forest Service |
USDA
Please send any questions or comments to
TMU/fpl@fs.fed.us.
Contact-Name: Adele Olstad
Contact-Phone: 608/231-9329
Document-Date: 2000 April 3
Abstract: March 2000 Issue of FPC&R; Review