Treesearch

The increasing complexity and uncertainty of the future may stimulate demand formoremonitoring emerging issues. Futurists have long advocated for monitoring the future on an ongoing basis or for tracking the findings of project work in practice. However, clients have historically been reluctant to invest time and money in monitoring, and little practical guidance is available on how to set up a monitoring. This article describes a pilot monitoring capability that is simple and practical to implement. It was developed as a "plug-in" to supplement an ongoing horizon scanning system. The...

The increasing incidence of wildfires across the southwestern United States (US) is altering the contemporary forest management template within historically frequent-fire conifer forests. An increasing fraction of southwestern conifer forests have recently burned, and many of these burned landscapes contain complex mosaics of surviving forest and severely burned patches without surviving conifer trees. These heterogeneous burned landscapes present unique social and ecological challenges. Severely burned patches can present numerous barriers to successful conifer regeneration, and often...

This study evaluated the effects on forest resources and forest product markets of three contrasting mass timber demand scenarios (Conservative, Optimistic, and Extreme), up to 2060, in twelve selected countries in Asia, Europe, North America, and South America. Analyses were carried out by utilizing the FOrest Resource Outlook Model, a partial market equilibrium model of the global forest sector. The findings suggest increases in global softwood lumber production of 8, 23, and 53 million m3 per year by 2060, under the Conservative, Optimistic, and Extreme scenarios, respectively, leading...

Cross laminated timber is becoming a popular manufactured building material that offers a safe and environmentally friendly alternative in large building applications that were previously limited to concrete and steel. Preservatives are often applied to wood products to protect them from decay and extend their service life. However, CLT panels are typically not treated due, in part, to a lack of efficient and effective methods for treating large panels and a lack of information on what impact the treatment process has on the panels’ mechanical properties. In this work, a variety of CLT...

Quantifying forest understory biomass is important for understanding ecological processes, but there are few methods for non-destructive measurement of understory biomass in southeast Alaska. We developed cover-to-biomass equations for common understory species in young-growth Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis)–western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla) forests. A sampling method of visually estimating cover and destructively measuring biomass was used at 35 stands aged 10 to 67 years on Prince of Wales Island in southeast Alaska from 2007 to 2018. Linear cover to biomass regressions were fitted...

As a private forest landowner, you might start to think about timber taxes only after having a timber sale. However there can be tax implications of each timber activity you conduct. Generally all income received is taxable unless the tax law excludes and nothing is deductible unless a provision allows it. Understanding the forestry specific tax provisions and how the general tax rules apply to your forestry activities can help lower your overall taxes through careful tax planning. The “tax tips” provided in this publication are intended to assist forest landowners and their tax advisors...

Mass Timber, mostly highlighted herein as cross laminated timber, is a growing market in North America with hundreds of new projects either in preparation or underway. This material is an innovation in wood-based design and construction and represents an opportunity to transform building practice away from less sustainable materials such as concrete and steel. However, wood is still a biodegradable resource and it is important to understand what limitations, or at least precautions, should be taken to ensure its proper use. Since 2015, the Forest Products Laboratory (FPL) RWU 4723 (Wood...

Unseasoned (green) red and white oak bridge timbers and crossties were pre-treated with boron rods installed at equal distances along the length of the timbers. Moisture content and boron levels were examined at 15, 30, 50, 80, and 130 weeks after rod installation and subsequent treatment with creosote. Moisture content for both wood species remained high (above 50%) for the duration of the test period, well above the 30% moisture content needed for boron diffusion. Passive dual treatment with fused borate rods resulted in high boron loadings in both hardwood species, particularly in the...

Raw materials for buildings and construction account for more than 35% of global primary energy use and nearly 40% of energy-related CO₂ emissions. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) emphasized the drastic reduction in GHG emissions and thus, wood products with very low or negative carbon footprint materials can play an important role. In this study, a cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment (LCA) approach was followed to quantify the environmental impacts of laminated strand lumber (LSL). The inventory data represented North American LSL production in terms of input...

According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the construction and operation of buildings accounted for nearly 38% of total global energy-related CO₂ emissions in 2019. The construction sector has been striving to use more low-carbon footprint building products to mitigate climate change and enhance environmentally preferable purchasing. Over the last several decades, there has been substantial growth in engineered wood products for the construction industry. To assess these products used in construction for their environmental profile, life cycle assessments (LCAs) are...