Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

This is the first meeting of project participants for NE506 and it was held in conjunction with the annual Wood Utilization Research (WUR) National Directors Meeting. This Rapid Response Project was initiated in response to the loss of funding for the WUR Special Grant in FY07. These funds were a portion of one-time additional Hatch formula grant appropriations in FY07, and NE506 provided a mechanism for use of these one-time funds to carry on WUR projects, at the discretion of Experiment Station Directors. With the scheduled termination of the NE506 on July 31, 2009, the agenda for this meeting focused in part on the question of whether to develop a regular Multi-State project and associated administrative procedures rather than on research program coordination. Current Program Status and New Developments at All Participating Universities: Alaska - Moved research facility to Palmer, AK - Key research program is wood chemistry characterization (e.g., birch bark chemistry, birch for biofuels/biochemicals production); bio-waste cooperative research with WSU; also working with Sitka Tribe on research applications and outreach; fire damaged dead wood; chemical characterization of fast growing wood species; pelletizing of beetle kill/fire kill/small diameter trees. Michigan State University - (see PowerPoint slides by Dan Keathley) North Carolina State University - Machine tool center is heavily involved with industry applications; have a multidisciplinary institute cooperating with most departments on campus; involved in tool/machine dynamics; process analytics/monitoring; surface quality evaluation; working with Steve Shaler on process monitoring of abrasive characteristics during sanding; hired two new faculty members even in presence of state budget restrictions; green home wireless sensing monitoring (e.g., moisture detection, etc.); curriculum in wood science has three options (business or wood science or industry options). Oregon State University - Involved in many research projects with several important concentrations, e.g., o Green life cycle analysis for wood, LEEDS, FSC certification, leveraging with CORRUM funding created a 501C organization; o Eric Hansen (extension) with Scott Leavengood, e.g., business systems integration, innovation and business competitiveness, barriers to adoption of innovation and change, quantifying these barriers with Innovation Acceptance Index, Oregon Wood Innovation Center (mechanism to transfer important WUR results) has received much publicity and positive press; o Mike Milota, e.g., collecting real-time MC information for high speed production sorting of wood products, sort by classes of drying for Douglas Fir, Hemlock, etc.; nano-based research looking at green technology (nano example - crystalline cellulose turns opaque in electric field). o Fred Kamke, e.g., development of an on-line certification program for wood composites manufacturing around the world; e-campus concept offered to global industry personnel; contracted with 12-15 people around U.S. to provide support and input for e-campus. o Jeff Morrell, e.g., on-line management system for poles, train new inspectors, support in management of large investment by utilities around U.S. o Forest engineering, e.g., improved inventory analysis, RF identification of chips to monitor how we move biomass out of the forest, more studies of biomass in western U.S., in forest log segmentation using NIR scan of sawdust from cutter-head, inventory system logs. University of Tennessee - Eight faculty positions currently in Forest Products Center - Strong emphasis recently on biofuels and biochemicals with Sun Grant Center at UT and UT Office of Bioenergy Programs (state support), cooperating with ORNL. Development of large scale ethanol plant from switch grass in Venore, TN, strong state support, cooperating with private sector (also research scale cellulosic ethanol pilot plant on UT campus). Studying the pre-extraction of biochemicals and biofuels from OSB flakes. Joe Bozell and Nicole Labbe heavily involved in biochemical and biofuels programs. - Siqun Wangs program in wood composites and OSB continues to strive with emphasis in nano-scale research of cell wall strength properties - David Harper studying advanced materials using wood, e.g., compatibilization of natural fibers with synthetic polymers using triblock copolymers as coupling agents, etc. - Adam Taylor research in moisture content and drying applications of solid wood using NIR spectroscopy, also recent study on the reduced mold susceptibility of OSB under different conditions of pre-extracted southern pine strands (directly related to study of pre-extraction of biochemicals and biofuels from OSB flakes). - Tim Youngs focus on process analytics for forest products industry continues, e.g., real-time process analytics systems exist in several wood composite mills in southeast, meta-systems next logical step, wireless SPC systems exist in sawmills, recent applications to whisky barrel manufacture, industry training course still very popular. University of Minnesota, Duluth - (see PowerPoint slides by Brian Brashaw) University of Minnesota - (see PowerPoint slides by Shri Ramaswamy) University of Maryland - Research with trees and wood utilization and chemical extractives - Urban waste utilization project, e.g. goal is full utilization of urban residue - Increased market utilization of wood products from landfills, urban waste, etc. Virginia Tech - Discussed the biofuels/biochemicals working group cluster at VT which is an interdisciplinary, inter-collegiate group within VT doing biofuels/biochemicals research (recent hire in department in 2007 of full professor Kevin Edgar from Eastman Chemical)  see handout distributed at meeting by Paul - Discussed research initiatives of faculty of Department of Wood Science and Forest Products  see handout distributed at meeting by Paul Mississippi State University - Economic Development and the Forest Based Marketplace - Chemicals and Energy from Wood - Engineered Wood Products - New Manufacturing Systems for Wood Based Industries - Performance of Wood Structures in Housing - Furniture

At the time of the annual meeting, most schools had been part of the project for only a few months, so there are no accomplishments at this point.

No publications from this work at present.