Treesearch

Altering the surface properties of pulp can enhance binding, increase paper strength, and decrease the cost of fiber. In this study, we modified lignocellulosic materials (bark and pulp) with laccase and selected substrates to change the nature of the pulp surface. Modified pulps were evaluated by the amount of methylene blue (a cationic dye) that would bind to the pulp and the acid–base and dispersive results of inverse gas chromatography (IGC) analysis. Combinations of laccase and substrates that altered various surface properties of the pulp were determined. Methylene blue binding...

This report provides documentation and user information for FPL-PELPS, a personal computer price endogenous linear programming system for economic modeling. Originally developed to model the North American pulp and paper industry, FPL-PELPS follows its predecessors in allowing the modeling of any appropriate sector to predict consumption, production and capacity by technology, and trade within or among several regions or countries. The theoretical structure is that of spatial equilibrium modeling under competitive market assumptions. This report contains a mathematical description of the...

Engineered wood products, such as oriented strandboard, laminated veneer lumber, and other composite wood products, are being used more often in construction. This includes use as rim boards, which are the components around the perimeter of a floor assembly. This situation has increased the need for information about the fire resistance of these products. In this study, we evaluated different engineered wood products for fire resistance using both the ASTM E119 standard for fire exposure and a modified time-temperature curve. We looked at unprotected, gypsum-board-protected, and double...

The traditional method of measuring log volume in North America is the board foot log scale, which uses simple assumptions about how much of a log's volume is recoverable. This underestimates the true recovery potential and leads to difficulties in comparing volumes measured with the traditional board foot system and those measured with the cubic scaling systems used in most of the world. The relationships among these different scaling systems vary systematically with log diameter, as well as length, taper, defects, and measurement and utilization conventions. As average log size has...

Because dense stands of softwood trees are causing forest health problems in the western United States, new ways to use this material need to be found. One option is to use this material as logs rather than sawing it into lumber. For many applications, logs require some degree of drying. Even though these logs may be considered small diameter, they are large compared with the thickness of typical lumber, and they may require uneconomically long kiln drying times. Air drying is a logical alternative to kiln drying, but the variables involved make estimating air drying times difficult. In...

To restore and maintain forest ecosystem health and function in the western interior of the United States, many small-diameter stems need to be removed from densely stocked stands. In general, these materials are underutilized. Information on the properties of these resources is needed to help forest managers understand when timber sales are a viable option to accomplish ecosystem management objectives. Providing proof that this small-diameter material yields quality pulp would help increase its value and therefore help remove it from the forest. This study examines the acceptability of...

Early and accurate detection of the extent of fungal deterioration during forensic inspection of the building envelope would eliminate excessive or unnecessary replacement of wood-based building materials. Areas of water infiltration in wood-framed building envelopes in the Pacific Northwest were evaluated visually and sampled for moisture content. Wood samples were cultured in the laboratory and tested for the presence of decay fungi by the immunodiagnostic wood decay (IWD) test. In oriented strandboard sheathing, a correlation was seen between low moisture content, arrested fungal...

Ratios of strength properties of lumber are commonly used to calculate property values for standards. Although originally proposed in terms of means, ratios are being applied without regard to position in the distribution. It is now known that lumber strength properties are generally not normally distributed. Therefore, nonparametric methods are often used to derive property values. In some situations, estimating properties based on a parametric estimate is required. For these situations, the three-parameter Weibull distribution looks promising. To use this approach, procedures for...

Environmental concerns about preservative bleeding (or migrating) from timber bridges have increased in recent years. This preliminary study examined the creosote retention levels at six timber highway bridges in Michigan's lower peninsula during the summer of 2000. Several test core samples were removed from the bridge superstructures (four bleeders and two controls) and were evaluated for creosote content in the laboratory. Results from three of the four bleeder bridges indicated high creosote retention levels between 36 and 52 lb/ft3 (576.7 and 833 kg/m3) after several years in service.

A process was designed to evaluate the sustainability and potential marketability of USDA Forest Service patented technologies. The process was designed and tested jointly by the University of North Carolina, the University of Michigan, Partners for Strategic Change, and the USDA Forest Service. Two technologies were evaluated: a fiber-based product and a wood fiber/fiberglass composite technology. The results indicate several different ways in which the technologies might be exploited to produce new commercial products for both domestic and international markets, through licensing of the...