Treesearch

Recycled newsprint (ONP) and dry process aspen fiber were combined with styrene maleic anhydride (SMA) copolymers containing either 7 or 14 percent maleic anhydride. The fiber-filled SMA composites were equivalent or superior to unfilled SMA in strength, stiffness, and notched Izod impact strength. ONP performed surprisingly well as a filler. Unnotched Izod impact strengths for filled polymers were lower than for unfilled polymers. Water sorption was similar among fillers, and was small compared with solid wood.

Battarrea stevenii and Tulostoma cf. meridionale, two cosmopolitan taxa are reported as new records for Puerto Rico. Both species were collected from the same disturbed subtropical dry forested area. A partial checklist of the taxa of macromycetes collected from Boquer*on Commonwealth- and Laguna Cartagena National Wildlife Refuges is also provided.

A new method for obtaining triaxial stress versus strain data is presented. The method tests cubic specimens and can provide constitutive data along three mutually perpendicular axes. Issues of removing the effects of boundary conditions in the proposed device are discussed. Two devices were constructed and used to obtain triaxial stress versus strain data on paperboard and on redwood samples. Representative data are shown.

The USDA Forest Service is preparing a national assessment of supply and demand for wood fiber resources in the United States. Based in part on preliminary results of this assessment and partly on our 1993 Assessment, this paper outlines trends and gives an outlook for demand and trade for timber and fiber products, changes in technology, and wood fiber resource supply. We use the term wood fiber to include timber for solid wood products, pulp and paper products, and recycled paper for paper products. Demand for solid wood products and paper and paperboard products will be driven by growth...

With relative humidity and temperature data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the average equilibrium moisture content for each month of the year was calculated for 262 locations in the United States and 122 locations outside the United States. As an aid for storage of kiln-dried lumber, a graph is presented for determining the reduction in equilibrium moisture content that results from heating air in an enclosed storage space above the temperature of the outside air.

This report describes strategies for using the Financial Evaluation of Ecosystem Management Activities (FEEMA) software. This program was developed as a tool for assessing the financial viability of management activities for removing small trees for manufacture into wood products. Combinations of tree stands, management activities, and contractual requirements can be ranked along a continuum from actions that are unlikely to pay for themselves under any economic conditions to those that are likely to cover their implementation costs. The program can be used early in the planning process to...

Dry-kiln schedules have been developed for many hardwood species, but many more, especially tropical species, do not have a recommended schedule. The study reported herein investigated the possibility of estimating kiln schedules using specific gravity (SG). Using known schedules and SG data of 268 hardwood species, a classification approach and linear regression analysis were applied and compared to establish the relationships between kiln schedule code numbers and SG. In general, schedule predictions matched reasonably well with recommended schedules, but for some species, the differences...

Ring-shank nails are used extensively in post-frame construction due to their superior performance, yet surprisingly little testing has been done on nail sizes above 12d Experience in the post-frame industry suggests that published allowable design values for ring-shank nails may be overly conservative and need revision. The goal of the research reported herein was to characterize the withdrawal strength of ring-shank nails embedded in Southern Pine lumber. Three sizes of galvanized and ungalvanized (bright) ring-shank nails from two manufacturers were studied. Ring-shank nails had...

In the United States, log grading procedures use visual assessment of defects, in relation to the log scaling diameter, to estimate the yield of lumber that maybe expected from the log. This procedure was satisfactory when structural grades were based only on defect size and location. In recent years, however, structural products have increasingly been graded using a combination of visual estimation of defects, coupled with nondestructive evaluation of other parameters, to obtain a more precise estimate of product properties. Today, the most commonly used nondestructive evaluation parameter...

The objective of this project was to compare the different methods for the quantification of micro stickies. The hydrophobic materials investigated in this project for the collection of micro stickies were Microfoam* (polypropylene packing material), low density polyethylene film (LDPE), high density polyethylene (HDPE; a flat piece from a square plastic bottle), paper machine wire (polyester), and Tyvek* (Federal Express envelope). A stainless steel frame, built to hold the collecting material, was used to insert each material into the pulp under controlled conditions. Collected micro...