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Wood Education and Resource Center Update
March 21, 2013
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Wood Education and Resource Center (WERC) Project Highlights
 Harvesting Woody Biomass:
A Demonstration Project
(WERC Award Number 2010-DG-076)
Using a WERC grant, Steve Bick of Northeast Forests, LLC, developed and recently completed two new documents for the forest harvesting community. Harvesting Woody Biomass: A Small Business Guide is a 254-page book. To purchase a copy, go to the Northeastern Loggers' Association Web site. You can also buy the book at upcoming Northeastern Loggers' Association trade shows being held May 3-4 in Hamburg, NY, and May 17-18, 2013, in Bangor, ME. A Biomass Demonstration Guide for Northern Loggers is in electronic form. View and download this compilation of videos, photos, and articles about biomass harvesting here. Contact Steve Bick at 315-369-8007 for more information.
New Publication: Wood Utilization Options for Urban Trees Infested by Invasive Species
(WERC Award Number 2009-DG-087)
This new book provides an overview of the most  damaging invasive species, utilization and marketing options for important hardwood species, basic wood properties, and heat treatment guidelines for firewood. It was developed through a unique partnership between the University of Minnesota Duluth's Natural Resources Research Institute, WERC, and several researchers at the Forest Products Laboratory (FPL). Because of this project, the widely used EAB portal added a wood use options section.To view a copy of the book, click here.
A Web-based seminar about this book was held on January 31, 2013. View the recorded Webinar here. Contact Brian Brashaw at 218-720-4248 for more information.
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WERC's Woody Biomass
Technical Assistance
St. Kieran Community Center for the Arts Now Completely Fueled by Biomass
The St. Kieran Community Center for the Arts (SKCC),  located in Berlin, NH, recently converted its steam [heat] distribution system to hot water and installed a biomass-based system to replace a fuel oil-based system nearing the end of its useful life. The new system is completely fueled by locally sourced, renewable wood pellets and produces inexpensive heat for the 6,200-square-foot historic building. Purchased energy costs are being reduced by approximately $10,600 annually based on 2012 oil prices.
The new system includes two 191,000 Btu/hr output biomass boilers and 50,000 Btu of hot water thermal storage. High-temperature hot water in the thermal storage tank is blended with colder water returning from the distribution system to maintain an adjustable temperature for water that is used for heating.
The project total cost of $159,972 was supported with funding provided by the North Country RC&D, U.S. Forest Service Wood Education and Resource Center, Northern Forest Center, Berlin Better Buildings, and the Retail Merchants Association of New Hampshire. Approximately 35 percent of the project's costs were used to convert the heating distribution system from low-pressure steam to hot water. The system eliminates future capital costs of replacing aging heating equipment and uses locally sourced renewable energy sources, which provides SKCC with stable energy prices when compared to volatile fossil fuel costs.
Fuel cost savings from the biomass project have enabled SKCC to shift funds traditionally spent on heating fuels to programs that focus on cultural enrichment and community development within the Androscoggin Valley. SKCC is annually saving more than 5,000 gallons of #2 heating oil (valued at $19,000), purchasing 35 tons of wood pellets (valued at $8,400), and reducing net carbon dioxide by more than 27 tons.
Woody Biomass Now Heating a Building Considered by Some "Among the Most Beautiful in the World"
A 175,000-square-foot building with 226 rooms that  includes classrooms, a large dining hall and kitchen, a large four-tier library, auditorium, offices, bedrooms, and Romanesque chapel is now fueled by renewable woody biomass.
The building, considered by some to be among the most beautiful in the world, was constructed in the early 1900s. It sits on a 411-acre property overlooking the Hudson River in New York that is now owned by the Bruderhof, an international network of Christian communities founded in Germany in 1921.
The owners plan to use the facility for residential housing and as a boarding high school for students from the American Bruderhof communities. Because the building was heated by an antiquated steam system costing up to a $1,000 a day during the cold winters of the Catskill Mountains, its owners investigated options to reduce these operating costs.
Reflecting the Bruderhof community's commitment to the environment and sustainability, wood heating was the only option considered for a heating system retrofit. Facility managers asked the WERC Woody Biomass Technical Assistance Team for help with evaluating the existing building heating system and to develop a feasibility study for the use of wood energy at the site. Following the team's analysis and feasibility study, the owners selected Viessmann North America to provide the technology.
Two wood chip-fired biomass boilers (without fossil fuel backup) are used for space heating and year-round domestic hot water. A Pyrotec KPT-530 supplies summer domestic hot water with five indirect-fired water tanks and covers spring and fall season heating loads. The second boiler, a Pyrotec KPT-1250, is used during the peak heating season, with the smaller boiler providing supplementary heating during peak loads. To ensure high efficiency levels and minimize cycling, two thermal buffer tanks were installed. The wood chip storage is located under a parking lot at the rear of the building and is tied into what was the coal bunker for an earlier coal fired system. For additional information, contact Lew McCreery at 304-285-1538.
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Workshops
Visit the WERC training Web page or WERC Webcast archive
Urban Wood Utilization and Marketing Quarterly Webcast - Opportunities and Solutions for Municipal Officials, Urban Foresters, and Forest Health Managers
Interested in learning about efforts to utilize ash and other urban trees? Join us April 8 at 10:00 a.m. eastern for our next Webcast in a series that shares information about urban wood utilization efforts in the United States. To join the Webcast, use this Web link. For telephone audio, call toll-free at (888) 858-2144. Participant code: 7578516.
View past Webcasts here. For additional information, contact Ed Cesa at 304-285-1530.
Biomass and Bioenergy Seminar
Wood Education and Resource Center
Princeton, WV
May 6-7, 2013
This seminar will present the advantages, disadvantages, and challenges of biomass and bioenergy (markets, supply and demand, technologies, products, opportunities, and challenges) for the hardwood industry. For additional information, contact Daniel Saloni at 919-513-0989. Sponsors include the North Carolina State University Department of Forest Biomaterials.
Heat Treatment of Firewood and Logs using Steam and Vacuum
Wood Education and Resource Center
Princeton, WV
May 21, 2013
In this seminar, learn about new efficient treatment technology for logs and firewood with an emphasis on reducing forest pest migration in logs and firewood. Preregistration required. Contact Dr. Zhangjing Chen
at 540-231-4403. Sponsors include the Virginia Tech Department of Sustainable Biomaterials.
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WERC Rough Mill and Wood Shop Available for Lease
WERC will accept applications for the rough mill and wood shop on a continuous basis until a suitable proposal is submitted and accepted. For additional information, contact Steve Milauskas at 304-487-1510.
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National Woody Biomass Utilization Grants Program
This program focuses on helping communities and rural businesses more efficiently process and use woody biomass removed from forest restoration activities, such as reducing hazardous fuels, handling insect and disease conditions, or treating forest lands impacted by catastrophic weather events. These funds are targeted to help communities, entrepreneurs, and others turn the byproducts of forest restoration activities into marketable forest products and/or energy products. Proposals will be accepted through April 8, 2013.
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Update on the Housing Market
From Urs Buehlmann, Virginia Tech Department of Wood Science. The January 2013 and all past housing reports are archived here.
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Update on Wood Markets
From Don Deckard, Minnesota DNR Division of Forestry.
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Environmental Performance of Wood-Based Biofuels
The environmental performance of using wood for energy and value-added products was the focus of a recent special edition of the Forest Products Journal. View the contents of this issue here.
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New Wood Products Extension
Web Site
This Web site will create a wood products community of practice (CoP). This new online community will connect stakeholders with experts in wood products through e-learning modules, technical articles, and an "Ask the Expert" and "Frequently Asked Questions" sections. Approved wood products CoP topics include wood drying and processing, manufacturing process improvement, business management, marketing of wood products, product development, and environmental impact. For details, go here.
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European Union Timber Regulations
New European Union timber regulations went into effect March 3, 2013. For additional details, go here and here.
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Wind Wood Utilization
Wind Wood Utilization is the hub for information about preparing for, responding to, and recovering from major wind events and using the downed and damaged timber and woody debris that can result.
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North American Forest Sector Outlook Study: 2006 - 2030
Published by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe and the Food and Agricultural Organization. View the report here.
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Forests of the Northern United States
This publication provides a broad overview of forests in the 20-state region that is bounded by Maine, Maryland, Missouri, and Minnesota. It was authored by nine people across the region and is accompanied by a Web site that describes current resource conditions, unique forest characteristics, and the challenges faced by this tier of States. The report's findings also highlight the complexities facing those making today's forest management, policy, and investment decisions that, in turn, will prepare and shape the region for a sustainable future.
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Hardwood Checkoff Program
The Hardwood Checkoff is an initiative led by a group of U.S. hardwood industry leaders who have developed a Commodity Checkoff program for the hardwood industry. Checkoff programs are industry-funded research and promotions programs tailored to a specific commodity. For additional details, click here.
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Archived Webinars
Profitable Firewood Processing Workshop and Webcast
September 27, 2012
(WERC Award Number 2011-DG-057)
This workshop provided an educational and networking event for the firewood processing industry that provided the latest knowledge on processing, kiln drying, and marketing firewood. The Webcast includes these presentations:
- Introduction and Overview, Harry Watt, North Carolina State University (NCSU)
- Current Status of Firewood Industry, Scott Salveson, Director, National Firewood Association
- Current Firewood Research Project at WVU, Liz Basham, Research Student at West Virginia University
- Overview of Insect Quarantines, Justin Thaxton, USDA APHIS
- Who Is Buying Firewood? Harry Watt, NCSU, Wood Products Extension
- New York Firewood - Learning What Works and What Does Not in the Firewood Producing Business, Forbes Narch, Firewood Processor Business Owner
- Forest Management Practices to Complement the Firewood Industry, Consulting Foresters Panel
- Firewood Processing Equipment, Marcus Steigerwaldt, Multitek
- Dry Kilns, Heating Systems, Schedules, Management & Maintenance, Niels Jorgenson, Kiln-Direct
- Wood Stove Emissions and the Movement to Modernize Wood Heating in the U.S., John Ackerly, President, Alliance for Green Heat
2012 Wood Industry Week @ WERC
View a series of workshop online through this Web site. Topics include ROMI 4.0, enhancing economic competitiveness, developing new marketing strategies, mass customization, lean manufacturing, making effective use of technological advances, product costing, and small and medium enterprises in the U.S. wood products industry.
Biomass Thermal Energy Council's Educational Webinar Series
This series of educational Webinars about emissions, combined heat and power, thermal markets, and advanced technologies, among others, was completed with the assistance of a WERC-sponsored grant.
October 2, 2012: Quarterly Webcast and Conference Call on Urban Wood Utilization and Markets
View PDFs of key presentations:
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Wood Education and Resource Center Staff
Steve Milauskas, Director, (304) 487-1510, smilauskas@fs.fed.us
Ed Cesa, Deputy Director, (304) 285-1530, ecesa@fs.fed.us
Lew McCreery, Biomass Coordinator, (304) 285-1538, lmccreery@fs.fed.us
Debbie Hawkins, Office Administrator, (304) 487-1510, dhawkins@fs.fed.us
Nathan Delimont, Maintenance, (304) 487-1510, ndelimont@fs.fed.us |
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