Growing societal demand for forest products is pressuring managers to increase productivity from a finite land area, and it is expected that increased supply will come mostly from expansion of intensively managed stands. The USDA Forest Service and numerous collaborators created the Long-Term Soil Productivity (LTSP) network of research sites...
Heavy timber framing relies primarily on bracing to withstand lateral loads due to earthquakes and wind events. Bracing configurations in heavy timber framed buildings vary widely and include cross bracing, knee bracing, and other geometries. Many heavy timber frames constructed during colonial American times are still standing, exceeding the expected...
Light-frame construction practices and materials have changed greatly
over the past 100 years. Contemporary research has focused on modern construction; thus, we know a great deal about the behavior of modern lightframe buildings under lateral forces. However, there are many light-frame buildings that were built prior to the introduction of...
New species introductions have been associated with the movement of
people for thousands of years. For instance, horses were introduced into North
America by Spanish explorers, while pigs were introduced by the Polynesians
into many Pacific islands long before the establishment of permanent
European settlements. Both of these species introductions...
The overall goal of this study was to gain an insight into the load sharing aspect between oriented strand board (OSB) and gypsum wall board (GWB) in shear wall assembly during racking load. More specifically the objectives of the study were to: (1) evaluate qualitatively the load sharing between OSB...
It is commonly accepted that for the analysis of wood beams, the neutral axis coincides with the centroid of the beam. Although this assumption is used in analysis, wood is not an isotropic material, as it has different elastic properties in the tangential, radial and longitudinal directions, nor is it...
The objective of this research project was to increase the density, strength, and stiffness of two low to medium-density diffuse-porous hardwood species. Wood used in this study was processed using a method of wood densification known as “Viscoelastic Thermal Compression” (VTC). The VTC process is a three phase treatment which...
A mathematical and then a numerical model were developed for simulating a convective batch lumber drying process. The model incorporates mass and heat transfer relationships within the lumber stack, as well as thermodynamic properties of the wood and drying air. It takes into account a change of air properties along...
Wood plastic composites (WPCs) are composite materials made from thermoplastic polymers, wood flour, and a small amount of process- and property-enhancing additives; they are principally used in the automotive industry and as secondary building materials. Although the WPC market is expected to keep growing, it is still relatively small when...
Delayed tree mortality is an unpredictable occurrence when prescribed burning is implemented. Fire scorched trees may die as the result of crown scorching, stem charring, root injury, bark beetle attack, or through a combination of these factors. This study examined ponderosa pine mortality and the incidence of two bark beetle...