FPS NEWS

Wood Design Focus New Issue — Volume 31.01

Spatial Tectonics: Proposals for the Future of Building
A collection of student work produced by Unit 14 of The Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London. Various projects focused on developing speculative timber tectonic systems for building.

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Welcome to Wood Design Focus

Published for over 30 years, Wood Design Focus is an open access electronic journal providing articles on topics of contemporary wood design; including architecture, construction, engineering and design. Wood Design Focus boldly declares that when material/product development is combined with the highest levels of design thinking and execution, the results become the most sophisticated form of innovation. To this end, Wood Design Focus is committed to featuring the people, places and practices that move the wood focus narrative forward as we envision a more sustainable, resilient and beautiful built environment constructed of wood.

Meet the Editor in Chief

Jacob Alan Gines Editor-in-Chief
Wood Design Focus, Forest Products Society

Associate Professor, Mississippi State University, School of Architecture
Associate Principal, Director MAD Lab, Method Studio
March '07 — University of Utah

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INDUSTRY NEWS

Timber frame office building at Ponce City Market starts to rise

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A new timber-framed office building at the center of Ponce City Market's expansion plans is beginning construction, and the developer released a teaser to show how it will look. Jamestown Properties, the developer of the popular mixed-use hub along the popular Eastside Trail of the Atlanta Beltline released a showcase rendering the four-story loft office building.Read More

Schedule released for 'Lignin Production & Application: Expanding Transnational Collaboration' event

Business Finland
Organized by the Michigan, Maine and Finland forestry bioeconomy collaboration, this webinar is intended to build connections across borders to enhance activities related to lignin valorization. The session will highlight recent research innovations and industrial applications and will seek to define the challenges and opportunities to increase lignin production and applications in the next 1-3 years.Register Now

FPS NEWS

Special Issue Invitation: Recent Advances and New Approaches for Additive Manufacturing Using Wood and Biomaterials

Message from the Guest Editors

Dear Colleagues,

The world is experiencing an unprecedented paradigm shift in fabrication using advanced and additive manufacturing. At the forefront of this shift is the utilization of polymeric and metallic materials. By contrast, wood and other bio-mass-based materials have received comparatively less study toward their utilization in this automated and flexible manufacturing mode. To increase the use of bio-based materials for advanced manufacturing, we are supporting a three-year series of special issues in this topic area. Year one will focus on approach and technology, year two will focus on bio-derived resins for direct or composites use, and year three will focus on design and structural elements. We invite papers on using primarily bio-based materials (excluding PLA) that describe research on emerging techniques, methods, technologies, control approaches for advanced manufacturing, or characterization or modeling of such.

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Guest Editors:
Dr. Michael Maughan
Mechanical Engineering
University of Idaho
875 Perimeter Drive, MS 0902
Moscow, Idaho 83844-0902
maughan@uidaho.edu

Dr. Maria Soledad Peresin
Sustainable Biobased Materials Laboratory
Forest Products Development Center
Auburn University
602 Duncan Dr. Auburn, AL 36839-5818
soledad.peresin@auburn.edu

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Part 1 of 3-year series: Additive manufacturing approach & technology

Deadline for submission of manuscript: Jan. 1, 2024

Special Instructions: Submit like a regular paper using instructions for authors; however, instead of selecting Original Article, select 'NSF PrinTimber Special Issue' as the article type. Submit Manuscript

INDUSTRY NEWS

Homebuilders say lumber prices seem to be easing

WBRC-TV
A little bit of good news if you're planning to build a house or start some home improvement projects soon: Lumber prices are starting to ease. Analysts say lumber fell 24% in mid-February. The lower price of lumber is a sign of improvement offering some hope to homebuilders. However, as lumber prices are starting to ease, local builders said the cost of other building materials is rising.Read More

Sunbelt forest products unveils new brand identity and expanded product line

Valdosta Daily Times
Sunbelt Forest Products unveiled a new logo and redesigned website recently, reflecting the company's enhanced offerings in the wake of an unprecedented two-year company expansion. In 2021, Sunbelt Forest Products acquired Spartanburg Forest Products to become the leading supplier of pressure-treated lumber and wood fencing to Lowe's and independent lumber yards throughout the Eastern U.S. With the Spartanburg acquisition, Sunbelt Forest Products has grown to 12 locations with a service area stretching from Florida to Maine.Read More

The wonderful wizards of wood

Chemistry World
Liangbing Hu can make wood bounce like a ping-pong ball. He can also squish it like a rubber toy or make it stronger than steel. As he explains from his lab at the University of Maryland, U.S., it is simple chemistry: using sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfite with a little heat and pressure. "You can make all this stuff," he says. "Wood is a new metal, a new plastic, a new concrete. All you need to know is how to play with it, just by chemical engineering."Read More

FPS NEWS

Special Issue for Processing Technologies for the Forest & Biobased Products Industries (PTF BPI Conference)

Message from the Editors

Dear Colleagues,
We would like to announce our special issue in the Forest Products Journal which coincides with the PTF BPI Conference. This special issue will cover these key areas of chemical technologies, wood materials and adhesives, data science and artificial intelligence (AI), structural wood materials, product innovation, value-added products, and industry trends. Someone can submit a journal-quality manuscript based on their presentation at the conference or complementary work. These manuscripts can be submitted between now and three months past the date of the conference. If you are interested in submitting an early paper, feel free to follow the special instructions below or email the editors. We look forward to working with you.

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Guest Editor:
Dr. Sergej Medved
Associate Professor
Department of Wood Science & Technology, University of Ljubljana
Chair of Adhesives, Wood Composites, Surface Treatment and Construction
Rožna dolina, Cesta VIII/34
Office Number: B-1-09
sergej.medved@bf.uni-lj.si

Editor in Chief:
Dr. Brian K. Via
Editor-in-Chief of FPJ & Regions Bank Professor and Director Forest Products Development Center
Auburn University
520 Devall Dr. Auburn, AL 36832-5888
brianvia@auburn.edu

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Join us at this year's conference, and submit your work!

Conference Date: Oct. 30 — Nov. 1, 2023
Open Window for Submission: Today through Feb. 2, 2024

Special Instructions for Submission: Submit like a regular paper using instructions for authors; however, instead of selecting Original Article, select 'PTF BPI Special Issue' as the article type. Submit Manuscript

INDUSTRY NEWS

Machine turns waste-wood into climate-friendly product

NBC Montana
The USDA Forest Service and Air Burner Inc. teamed up to turn waste-wood into a climate-friendly product. CharBoss is a mobile machine that coverts waste-wood products like lumber into biochar, a nutrient-rich product that can be used for soil restoration. Forest management activities create valuable wood products like lumber, but can also generate woody residues with little or no economic value.Read More

Moses Structural Engineers names new associate

Canadian Consulting Engineer
Toronto-based Moses Structural Engineers, known for its work with steel, heavy timber, glued laminated timber and cross-laminated timber, has named structural designer Mark Prescott to the role of associate. Prescott studied environmental science and engineering in the U.K. and worked as an assistant structural engineer at URS, an AECOM company, before moving to Canada. Read More

This plant-based fabric collection is made using rapidly renewable sugar cane

Yanko Design
Founded on the principle that "great design goes deeper than aesthetics," U.S.-based Carnegie Fabrics recently released a collection of outdoor bio-based upholstery fabrics called the Outdoor Biobased Xorel. The interesting part about the Xorel fabric is that it's been made from sugar cane! It is the first plant-based, high-performance textile in the world. It claims to be the first indoor/outdoor commercial-grade performance textile.Read More

FPS NEWS

Join Us for the 2023 PTF BPI Conference!

The Processing Technologies for the Forest & Biobased Products Industries conference will be held Oct. 30 - Nov. 1, 2023, at the luxurious King and Prince Beach & Golf Resort in St. Simons Island, GA.

PTF BPI 2023 brings academia, industry and government entities together to network on innovation and applied technologies.

The unique conference includes academic scholars sharing the latest research in forest and bio-based materials, plus leading manufacturers will highlight advancements in chemical technologies, supplier audits and product innovation. This conference provides a forum and sessions for technical managers, plant managers, production managers, product development engineers, process engineers, scientists, academicians, and students in the Forest and Biobased Products Industries.

We look forward to a safe and exciting PTF BPI conference in 2023!

Click Here To Register Today!

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Join us in beautiful St. Simons! Book your room today at the King and Prince Beach & Golf Resort in St. Simons, Georgia. Room block is limited.

Click Here To Book Your Room Today!

Reservation cut-off date is September 29, 2023.

Submit Your Abstract for PTF BPI

Deadline: July 31, 2023
Don't miss the opportunity to share your research and contribute to improving techniques and current knowledge of processing technologies for the bio-based industry.

Abstract Topics:

· Cross-Laminated Timber

· Design Innovation in Wood

· Engineered Panels

· Furniture Manufacturing/Design

· Solid Wood Processing

· Wood Composites

· Wood Pellets

· Wood Treatment
and more...

Click Here To Submit Today!

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Questions about sponsoring the 2023 PTF BPI?
Contact Alex Waters, awaters@forestprod.org

INDUSTRY NEWS

Lumber industry showing signs of normalcy

News Channel Nebraska Central
Despite the number of hardships experienced by the lumber industry in recent years, thanks mainly to the COVID-19 pandemic, record housing demand and low sawmill production, experts say things are starting to return to normal. Take a look at this video that highlights the improvements you can expect for 2023. Watch Now

Teknor Apex uses 'world's first' bio-based plastic substitute in new TPE

Rubber News
Teknor Apex Co. has partnered with UBQ Materials Inc. to develop a new eco-conscious TPE made of 35% sustainable materials, which includes the patented bio-based thermoplastic, UBQ. This newly launched eco-conscious Monprene thermoplastic elastomer incorporates a "world's first" patented plastic substitute.Read More

Warming could lead to a 23% US timber tree loss by 2100

Futurity
The largest inventory losses would occur in two of the leading timber regions in the U.S., which are both in the South. The findings show modest impacts on forest product prices through the end of the century but also suggest bigger impacts in terms of storing carbon in U.S. forests, the researchers say. Two-thirds of U.S. forests are classified as timberlands.Read More

FPS NEWS

International Journal of Forest Engineering — Top Papers of 2022

The International Journal of Forest Engineering (IJFE) is dedicated to the dissemination of scholarly writings in all aspects of forest operations, both empirical and theoretical. Most published articles are original research, but review articles are also welcome. An important role of the IJFE is to report on existing practices and innovations in forest engineering by scientists and professionals from around the world to promote environmentally sound forestry practices and contribute to sustainable forest management. Read Today!

1. Influence of Log and Stack Parameters on the Conversion Factors for Norway Spruce Wood Stacks Using a 3D Simulation Model
2. Machine Vision-Based Waterlogged Area Detection for Gravel Road Condition Monitoring
3. Effects of Boom-Corridor Thinning on Harvester Productivity and Residual Stand Structure
4. Depth-to-Water Maps as Predictors of Rut Severity in Fully Mechanized Harvesting Operations
5. The Need for Flexibility in Forest Harvesting Services — a Case Study on Contractors’ Workflow Variations
6. The Productivity and Cost of Harvesting Whole Trees from Early Thinnings with a Felling Head Designed for Continuous Cutting and Accumulation
7. Tensile Forces and Deflections on Skylines of Cable Yarders: Comparison of Measurements with Close-to-Catenary Predictions
8. The Role of Harvester Measurement in the Wood Supply Chain
9. The Economic Potential of Semi-automated Tele-extraction of Roundwood in Sweden
10. A Multi-objective Optimization Strategy for Timber Forwarding in Cut-to-Length Harvesting Operations

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Submit Your Work To IJFE!

If you are interested in submitting a paper for publication, click HERE to learn more!

INDUSTRY NEWS

These building materials are made out of grass

Fast Company
While launching a sustainable furniture startup during the pandemic, serial entrepreneur Josh Dorfman watched as the price of wood skyrocketed. It got harder to find high-quality lumber, and he started wondering what alternative materials might be possible to use. At the same time, he connected with two former SpaceX engineers who were interested in wood alternatives for another reason: They saw an opportunity to rework construction materials to speed up carbon capture at a large scale.Read More

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Lumber prices set for a surge as homebuilding rebounds

Forbes
Get ready for a lumber surge. The homebuilding business looks like it's ticking up again after a tricky 2022. Along with it, investors should see lumber prices lift as well. The latter had a brutal year also. "Lumber, we believe has made a major low," writes Shawn Hackett, president of Hackett Financial Advisors. "The lumber market has likely made a major low and can trend substantially higher over the next year." Read More

Climate change may cut US forest inventory by a fifth this century

NC State News
A study led by a North Carolina State University researcher found that under more severe climate warming scenarios, the inventory of trees used for timber in the continental U.S. could decline by as much as 23% by 2100. The largest inventory losses would occur in two of the leading timber regions in the U.S., which are both in the South.Read More

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