2018 Annual Report of the Center for Forest Products Business

Dear Colleagues: It is hard to believe that another year has gone by and I am here wondering again what to share with you about the Center. Three months ago, we graduated 40 students from our program and some of them are now working in your companies. Our department’s undergraduate program has grown to nearly … Continue reading “2018 Annual Report of the Center for Forest Products Business”

Dear Colleagues:

Dr. Robert Smith, Director the Center for Forest Products Business

It is hard to believe that another year has gone by and I am here wondering again what to share with you about the Center. Three months ago, we graduated 40 students from our program and some of them are now working in your companies. Our department’s undergraduate program has grown to nearly 200 students, and it is probably the largest in the country. We believe the changes we have made in recent years regarding our undergraduate degrees and our name change are starting to attract a broader range of students to our profession. I have often told students that our program is the applied field of business, engineering, physics, or chemistry to our natural resources and wood. Whether it is the student who has a business interest and wants to go into international marketing or the student who has an engineering interest and wants to lean up your mill, our undergraduate program allows students to apply these disciplines to wood products. We remain committed to providing the best marketing, manufacturing, and business education in forest products in North America. Our goal remains to attract and train good students who can help your companies compete in this changing world marketplace.

I have now completed six years as the department head. It is nice being back in the department with my colleagues and directing such a successful endeavor. We are fortunate to have some of the leading scientists in our field working in the department. I want to thank those of you who took time to visit us this past year and spend time with our students. Your interest and experience help us demonstrate the great opportunities that exist for careers in wood products. Students always comment on how they love to hear from our industry partners. Your internships, scholarships and job opportunities demonstrate the partnership that is needed to help us attract and train your future employees. If you would like to visit the department and speak with our students, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Your center has had a good year. Our faculty accomplishments are listed later in this report. We awarded over $25,000 of scholarships in 2017 and will award nearly that amount again in 2018. Your donations make this possible and allow us to better train our students for this changing wood products industry. We have updated our website to provide more information, so please visit us at http://www.cfpb.vt.edu I thank you for your continued support of our center. If there is anything I can do, please feel free to contact me at 540-231-7679 or rsmith4@vt.edu.

Follow this link to download the full report.

FSMIP/USDA project report on wooden social housing in Latin America

By Henry Quesada, quesada@vt.edu Sustainable housing is one of the fundamental necessities for socio-economic development. Yet a considerable population of the developing world is living in substandard houses. On the other hand, developed countries like the United States have substantially improved the residential construction sector by engineering new materials and developing efficient systems. This study … Continue reading “FSMIP/USDA project report on wooden social housing in Latin America”

By Henry Quesada, quesada@vt.edu

A wooden social home in Costa Rica made with Southern Yellow Pine (SYP) imported from the United States.

Sustainable housing is one of the fundamental necessities for socio-economic development. Yet a considerable population of the developing world is living in substandard houses. On the other hand, developed countries like the United States have substantially improved the residential construction sector by engineering new materials and developing efficient systems.

This study attempts to link this supply capacity of the system built wood construction sector in the United States to urban low-income housing markets in the Latin-American region. Expansion to new markets and diversification to new products can rejuvenate this industry in the U.S. Linking the manufacturer with potential buyers overseas would need efficient production, logistics and marketing systems. This research is focused on product development for bottom-of-the pyramid buyers to give them an affordable yet sustainable alternative to traditional systems. Interviews and survey tools were used to assess key aspects of housing deficits in target demographics of the South and Central American regions. System built wood construction manufacturers in the U.S. were assessed to identify barriers and incentives for internationalization and how they differ from exporting to non-exporting manufacturers within the same industry. Findings indicate that developing products for social housing programs can provide access to potential untapped markets. Lack of existing wood construction in some of the selected markets indicates the possibility of resistance to acceptance but also assures no local competition. The learnings can also contribute to opening of new markets for exports of prefabricated wooden buildings in other housing sectors.

Click here to download the full report.

Center for Forest Products Annual Report

The 2016 CFPB is ready. Please follow this link to download a copy of the report.

SBIO Department participates at the 2016 Expo Richmond

Blacksburg, VA. The Department of Sustainable Biomaterials (SBIO) had an active participation during the 2016 Expo Richmond. The machinery exposition is organized by the Virginia Forest Products Association (VFPA) and it is co-sponsored by the College of Natural Resources and Environment (CNRE) at Virginia Tech and the Virginia Department of Forestry. The show attracts thousands … Continue reading “SBIO Department participates at the 2016 Expo Richmond”

Blacksburg, VA. The Department of Sustainable Biomaterials (SBIO) had an active participation during the 2016 Expo Richmond. The machinery exposition is organized by the Virginia Forest Products Association (VFPA) and it is co-sponsored by the College of Natural Resources and Environment (CNRE) at Virginia Tech and the Virginia Department of Forestry. The show attracts thousands of industry members, industry organizations, and wood hobbies who come to get a glimpse of new developments related to software and hardware in the forestry and forest products industries.

Dr. Brian Bond, professor at the SBIO Department presents on the latest development in vacuum drying technology

This year the trade show kicked off with the SBIO Department presenting an innovative educational session that included speakers from Virginia Tech, the US Forest Service, and the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC).

For the following two days the SBIO Department along with other members of the CNRE at VT, showcased new research and short-course opportunities, and delivered short courses to visitors coming to the Expo Richmond. As usual many fellow Hokies stopped by our booth to greet and catch-up on latest developments. The Expo Richmond is also a great venue to network and reconnected with industry and industry organizations that hire a good portion of the graduates from the SBIO Department.

Drs. Brian Bond and Henry Quesada enjoy Smokey Bear's visit to the SBIO Department booth. — Drs. Brian Bond and Henry Quesada enjoy Smokey Bear’s visit to the SBIO Department booth.

Expo Richmond 2016 Educational Session

Taking Advantage of Current Trends, Market Opportunities and Improvements May 12, 2016. Hyatt Place. 4401 S. Laburnum Avenue, Richmond, VA 23231 8:00-9:00am . The Housing Market, its impact on the Wood Products Industry, and opportunities- Urs Buehlmann This session will focus on the current state of the housing market and discuss its future. The U.S. … Continue reading “Expo Richmond 2016 Educational Session”

Taking Advantage of Current Trends, Market Opportunities and Improvements

May 12, 2016. Hyatt Place. 4401 S. Laburnum Avenue, Richmond, VA 23231

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8:00-9:00am . The Housing Market, its impact on the Wood Products Industry, and opportunities- Urs Buehlmann

This session will focus on the current state of the housing market and discuss its future. The U.S. private construction market generates, with roughly $750 billion per year, approximately 5% of U.S. GDP and if housing services are included it accounts for about 18 percent of U.S. GDP. An estimated $360 billion is spent on residential construction, four-fifths (on a Dollar basis) on single-family homes (700,000 units/year) and one-fifth on multi-family homes (350,000 units/year). The residential building market is of outmost importance to the U.S. wood industry, with an estimated 70 percent of softwood and more than 50 percent of the appearance hardwood harvest going to this market.

9:00am–10:00 am. Building Bigger : New Market Opportunities in Massive Timber– Dan Hindman

Massive timber is a new class of wooden building materials including cross laminated timber and nail laminated timber. Current production in the United States is limited, but growth and interest in the engineering and architecture community continues to grow. This presentation will discuss what massive timber is and what market opportunities for softwood and hardwood lumber are available

10:00 am:10-15 am. Break

10:15 am-11:15 am. Hardwood Exports: Current State and Opportunities – Mike Snow

11:15 am-12:00 pm. The Pallet Story – Hardwood and Softwood Use, Recovery/Repair/Recycling, and Greenness Opportunities – Phil Araman

This session will cover information on wood material use and pallet production and will focus on ways to minimize production waste from pallet cants and parts while producing better pallets. Pallet recovery, repair, and recycling techniques and numbers will be discussed. Ways to to be certified by an international environmental group for recycled pallets will be covered.

12:00 pm-1:00 pm. Lunch break. On your own.

1:00 pm- 3:00 pm – Identifying and measuring waste in your supply chain- Henry Quesada

Measuring waste in your manufacturing process is a critical activity to increase production efficiencies and customer satisfaction levels. However, little has been developed to adopt lean management tools to the entire supply chain. In this presentation we will explain how to use value-stream mapping, a key tool in lean management, to quantify and analyze waste in your supply chain in wood products industries.

3:30 pm- 3:45 pm. Break

3:45 pm- 5:00 pm. Meeting Your Customer’s Needs: Improving Your Lumber Drying Quality – Brian Bond

Regardless of your position in the value chain, logger, sawmill, drying facility or secondary producer, many aspects of wood quality and customer satisfaction are related to the drying process. This session will focus on achieving the best final moisture content, proper moisture content spread, prevention of warp, stain, and other drying quality issues.

Registration: The investment is $70 for the morning or the afternoon sessions. If you register for both sessions the investment is $100. Coffee breaks are available. For registration please follow this link: http://www.cpe.vt.edu/reg/vfpa/

Venue: Hyatt Place. 4401 Laburnum Avenue. Richmond, VA, 23231. Phone number is (804) 549-44865
Contact information: If you have any questions regarding this event, please email Mrs. Angela Riegel at ariegel@vt.edu or call at (540) 231-7107

Non-discrimination Statement

Virginia Cooperative Extension programs and employment are open to all, regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, genetic information, marital, family, or veteran status, or any other basis protected by law. An equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.

ADA Statement

If you are a person with a disability and desire any assistive devices, services or other accommodations to participate in this activity, please contact Henry Quesada at 540-2310978/TDD* during business hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. to discuss accommodations 5 days prior to the event. *TDD number is 800-828-1120

Sponsor by:

Virginia Forest Products Association (VFPA)