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Articles

  • The design of everyday shipping pillows served as the low-cost, sterile bioreactors for producing life-saving pharmaceutical ingredients.

    From Forest Fungi to Pharmaceutical Breakthrough

    https://research.fs.usda.gov/fpl/articles/forest-fungi-pharmaceutical-breakthrough
    by Joseph Phillips
    3 min read
    Research has led to an unexpected new cost-effective approach to producing a key ingredient in life-saving medications.
  • Table showing photographs of bananas from four treatments and a control over four time points (0, 4, 7, and 9 days) under different treatments labeled Control, MFC 0.60, MFC/CMC 0.55:0.05, MFC/CMC 0.50:0.10, and MFC/CMC 0.40:0.20. Bananas show varying degrees of ripening and browning, with Control and MFC 0.60 exhibiting more advanced decay by day 9, while MFC/CMC treatments demonstrate slower browning and better preservation.

    Cellulose-Based Barrier Coatings for Fruit: Using Hardwood Pulp to Reduce Food Waste

    https://research.fs.usda.gov/fpl/articles/cellulose-based-barrier-coatings-fruit-using-hardwood-pulp-reduce-food-waste-0
    by Junyong Zhu, Nicole M. Stark, Peter Kitin, Nayomi Z. Plaza, Jenna Zukswert
    4 min read
    A new innovation from the Forest Service Forest Products Laboratory, Washington State University, and the University of Florida could reduce food waste while providing a new outlet and use for wood pulp. Barrier coatings for fruit made from naturally-derived, biodegradable compounds could be a safe and effective way to preserve fruit. These coatings are applied to the exterior of fruit peels with the intention of keeping the fruit fresher for longer.
  • USDA Forest Service’s Centennial Research Facility at Forest Products Laboratory in Madison, Wisconsin

    15 Years of Forest Products Innovation: Inside the Centennial Research Facility

    https://research.fs.usda.gov/fpl/articles/15-years-forest-products-innovation-inside-centennial-research-facility
    by Joseph Phillips
    3 min read
    The USDA Forest Service’s Centennial Research Facility at Forest Products Laboratory in Madison, Wisconsin, celebrated its 15th anniversary in 2025, marking over a decade of groundbreaking research, partnerships, and advancements in wood science that support a sustainable future.
  • A wooden structure on fire in a large testing facility.

    WOODWISE Fire Experiments Improve Mass Timber Safety: Phase I

    https://research.fs.usda.gov/fpl/articles/woodwise-fire-experiments-improve-mass-timber-safety-phase-i
    by Laura Hasburgh, Kara Yedinak, Jenna Zukswert
    4 min read
    Initial results from Phase I of the WOODWISE test series show that encapsulation may not affect fire temperature but does reduce the total heat release rate and reduce fire spread at the floor-to-wall connections in mass timber. These results also underscore the importance of considering how the type of fuels present in mass timber buildings can change fire behavior.
  • A cross-laminated timber shear wall system on a shake table outdoors

    Boosting use of cross-laminated timber in high seismic regions through development of a shear wall system

    https://research.fs.usda.gov/fpl/articles/boosting-use-cross-laminated-timber-high-seismic-regions-through-development-shear
    by Douglas R. Rammer
    2 min read
    Research conducted by Forest Products Lab scientists and collaborators has resulted in the first cross-laminated timber (CLT) shear wall seismic force resisting system (SFRS) to be approved in the U.S. model building code. This advance can support more widespread use of CLT in regions of North America with high winds and earthquake activity. It is only the second wood-based SFRS ever approved.
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