As a new product patented by Freres Lumber Company in 2018, little information exists for manu-facturing procedures of mass plywood panels (MPP). At first glance, MPP may appear to be ply-wood, laminated veneer lumber (LVL), or similar to conventional cross-laminated timber (CLT). Often manufacturers, as well as users, of MPP...
Equipment and technology suppliers to the US forest sector are confronting challenges and opportunities to meet the need for disruptive changes in an increasingly complex business environment. Open innovation is crucial for survival and success in the complex and changing operational environment due to its inherent openness and interdisciplinary nature....
Accelerated weathering (AW) tests have become a requirement for many wood composite products. This project monitored temperature and moisture content of specimens undergoing AW exposure for the following standards: ASTM D3434 (automatic boil test), CSA O112.9 (boil-dry-freeze), and PS2 (Section 7.17, 6-cycle VPS). Each AW procedure was conducted with three...
Existing strategies and policies have emphasized the need for cross-sector collaboration as a means for the forest sector to be more competitive. Cross-sector collaboration initiatives of forest sector companies with neighboring industries such as energy, chemicals, plastics, textiles, and packaging are gaining increasing attention as a necessary element for a...
The global Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) industry has changed dramatically within the past decade, with expansion outside of its start in Alpine Europe. The societal focus on more sustainable options within the built environment has led to an increased use of mass timber construction and its products including cross-laminated timber. Examining...
Untreated wood is inherently hygroscopic and moisture content variations can have substantial effects on dimensional stability leading to the development of deep surface checks that further enhance moisture uptake and ultimately encourage deterioration. The horizontal exposure of wood crossties makes water repellency and dimensional stability particularly important in railroad applications....
Western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis) is a conifer that is native to Oregon, California, Washington, Nevada, and Idaho. Juniper is known to have highly decay resistant heartwood and is a popular choice for finished furniture. With recent forest management practices over the past 100 years have resulted in an immense population...
Small landowners in the state of Oregon find it difficult to be competitive with larger companies to provide traditional forest products to consumers. Additionally, many landowners hope to be profitable from their land, but are not necessarily interested in or have the capability to harvest large tracts of timber. Specialty...
In the forest products business and management literature, one common categorization of different types of innovation is product innovation, process innovation and business systems innovation. Forest products companies have long placed high emphasis on process innovations, which are related to yield maximization, manufacturing efficiency and operating costs reduction. This is...
The fixed bed drying of western hemlock and Douglas-fir biomass particles at temperatures ranging from 50°C to 200°C and air velocities from 0.3 to 0.9 m/s was investigated. The objectives were to describe the drying characteristics of the particles, fit a model for thin-layer drying, and develop and test a...
Innovation is a critical component for long term success of an organization. However, being innovative is rarely easy. Successful implementation of any innovation (product, process, or business system) can heavily rely on the functionality of the current innovation system in a given industry. An innovation system is composed of policies,...
The wood-based building products industry has experienced significant turbulence over the past several decades as a function of multiple forces including among others globalization, product and process innovation, and shifting customer and consumer interest and demands. Collectively, these changes have challenged the historical tenets which have defined industry strategy and...
Export-oriented illegal logging has been recognized as a major global problem in environmental, social, and economic terms. It has been argued that export-oriented illegal logging does not benefit the community or government that should be benefited by its own natural resources. The emergence of policy initiatives targeting illegal logging could...
The fact that 80 percent of Mexican forestlands are under common ownership impacts the competitiveness of the forest products industry and forest sustainability. Community forest enterprises (CFE) are a heterogeneous group of forest industries managed by indigenous and local communities for livelihood and profit. Many CFEs face inner competitiveness problems,...
Co-located mills that share a log resource through a single merchandising
facility are challenged with the task of allocating the costs of joint-products in order to
determine log cost for each mill during a given period. While allocating joint-costs is
inherently arbitrary, some allocation must be made to include raw...
Due to growing global competition, especially in the last decade, the United States wood and wood-based industries have suffered significant market share losses. The wood industry in Germany is facing similar challenges. To stay competitive in an increasingly global marketplace, many wood manufacturers are adopting new management/manufacturing approaches. Lean manufacturing...