1. Forest Products Laboratory Federal Update
Rusty Dramm, Forest Products Marketing Unit, FPL
NAASF Utilization Committee Meeting, June 2017

2. FPL Forest Products Marketing Unit …now part of FS R&D, not S&PF
Brian Brashaw – Program Manager
Rusty Dramm – Forest Products Specialist
Mark Knaebe – Natural Resource Specialist
Ann Sarnecki – Partnership Coordinator
Janet Griffin – Program Support Assistant
Doug Tucker – Program Management Support
Delton Alderman – Research Forest Products Technologist
Iris Montague – Research Forester
Melody Jones – IT Specialist
Forest Products Laboratory Northern Research Station
News – Doug Tucker Retires!

3. Review of the Origins of State U&M Specialists
Prior to 1960s – just a handful of states like Missouri and Wisconsin had a forest products specialist on staff
1970s – Sawmill Improvement Program (SIP) – funds from S&PF Cooperative Forestry supported State Forestry U&M specialist for conducting SIP studies
State Forestry Utilization & Marketing Organizations
NAASF – Northeast U&M Council (1989)
SGSF – Services, Utilization and Marketing (2006)
CWSF – Western U&M (2017)

4. Sawmill Improvement Program State U&M Sawmill Specialists >>>
( )
BOF is the basis for today’s sawmill computer optimization technology
Sawmill Improvement Program (SIP) transferred Best Opening Face technology
2000+ SIP mill studies
Studies run by State U&M
Analysis by S&PF Unit at FPL
One billion bd. ft. conserved
each year
State U&M Sawmill Specialists >>>

5. And then the murders began…
Forest Industries Award presented to US Forest Service
Utilization and Marketing Team
…for Excellence in raising Sawmill and Plywood plant efficiency
Given at the 1992 Forest Industries Clinic and Show

6. History of U&M Assistance the last 25 years
Economic Action Programs (EAP)
Hazardous Fuels Woody Biomass Utilization Grant program – managed by S&PF TMU
Wood Innovations Grants program
Wood Energy (Statewide Wood Energy Teams)
Wood Innovations (forest products)
So where do we go from here?

7. Do we have support for rebuilding expertise?
Urgency is needed to curb loss of Forest Products Utilization and Marketing technical assistance expertise and rebuild capacity!
Do we have support for rebuilding expertise?

8. Train-the-the-Trainer Mill Study
Classroom discussion
Safety
Required tools
Sawmill economics
Business spreadsheets
In the mill
Scaled and graded logs
Observed sawing
Tallied lumber
Lumber size control
Mill Study in Upper Michigan

9. Wisconsin Mill Study – Instructors Terry Mace and Don Peterson
Sawmill Study Instructors
Sawmill Study Instructors Facilitators
Wisconsin Mill Study – Instructors Terry Mace and Don Peterson

10. Learning in a sawmill setting
Mill Study in Upper Michigan – WisDNR U&M Specialists and David Neumann, MichDNR

11. Learning…while providing assistance
Collin Buntrock, WisDNR Adam Smith, Nebraska Forest Service

12. What direction now? Forest Products U&M Goal
Provide forest products utilization and marketing assistance for restoring, managing and improving our nation’s forests while enhancing communities and economies – sustainability defined
This is my (Rusty’s) thought…I am not
sure everyone agrees with me or gets it...

13. What should our U&M Objectives be? Again…just my thoughts…
Provide new and expanded utilization and marketing opportunities of products and residues
Strengthen technology development and application with program delivery partners
Substantially increase the pace and scale of restoration through utilization and marketing
“Be Relevant” or else…
Facilitate cooperative working relationships
Again…just my thoughts…

14. Forest Products U&M Program Delivery Partners
We work with many partners for program delivery
State Forestry Utilization and Marketing Specialists
Wood Products Extension – Wood Innovation Centers
Forest Service – Biomass Coordinators, R&D, NFS
Forest products industry collaborators
NGOs – Forest Business Network (Craig Rawlings)
Many others – consultants (Wilson Engineering)
Based on past success…this is how we
could increase the pace and scale of land
restoration through U&M assistance

15. Questions