Creating and Expanding the Market for Black Ash Baskets in the Northeast

Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance
(WERC Award Number 2011-DG-109)

The focus of this project with the Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance was to create and expand the market for ash baskets in the Northeastern United States by focusing on the following:

1. Identifying ash basketmakers among five Tribes (including the Akwesasne Mohawk Nation from New York) and their marketing and business needs;

2. Creating and expanding markets for ash baskets;

3. Providing arts entrepreneurship training for Native American basketmakers and other value-added forest product artists in Maine and New York;

4. Providing tools for longer term marketing support for ash basketmakers for successful businesses and connecting them with resources necessary for financial independence; and

5. Serving as a model for other Native American basketmakers and artists in the Northeastern forest States, including Vermont and New Hampshire. 

To learn more about the project, click here. To view a Webcast about the project, click here.

For additional information, contact Theresa Secord at 207-314-3120.

Visit the WERC training Web page  or WERC Webcast archive 

Webinar - Status of Domestic Wood Packaging Material

January 24, 2014

The possibility of a requirement for all wood packaging material (WPM) to be "phytosanitized" arose in 2009 when the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service posted an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to that effect. This Webinar on domestic WPM will cover the evolution of this specific issue as well as others from 2009 to the present. The West Virginia University Appalachian Hardwood Center will host the event. The Webinar is free, but attendance is limited, so preregistration is required. Attendees will be able to ask the presenters questions via a text-based chat option. For more information and registration, contact Jeff Slahor, 304-293-9423.

Wood Industry Week @ WERC

March 11-13, 2014

WERC facility, Princeton, WV

This year's theme is improving operations to remain competitive and profitable. Sessions will focus on process improvements including mill layout, quality control tools, and optimization. For additional details, click here or contact Urs Buehlmann at 540-231-9759. 

Urban Wood Utilization Webcast

April 15, 2014  10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Eastern

Join us to learn about urban wood utilization activities, including urban timber measurement protocols. To join the Webcast, click on this Web link. For the audio portion, call toll-free at (888) 844-9904 and use participant passcode 7578516. View past Webcasts here. For additional information, contact Ed Cesa at 304-285-1530. 

Profitable Firewood Processing Workshop

April 17, 2014

Location: WERC Facilities, Princeton, WV

This educational and networking event will provide the firewood processing industry with the latest knowledge on processing, kiln drying, and marketing firewood. For additional information, contact Harry Watt from North Carolina State University at 704-880-5034.

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Update on the Housing Market

From Urs Buehlmann, Virginia Tech Department of Wood Science.

Update on Wood Markets

From Don Deckard, Minnesota DNR Division of Forestry

Department of Defense Recognizes Green Globes for Assessing Building Sustainability

Following the lead of the General Services Administration, the Department of Defense (DoD) recently recognized Green Globes as an approved program for DoD facilities.

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. Click here to view the Federal Register order for the proposed program. 

EPA Proposes Updates to Air Standards for Newly Manufactured Woodstoves and Heaters

Agriculture Secretary Vilsack Announces Projects to Improve Farm and Rural Business Energy Efficiency

On November 8, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced funding for 424 projects across the Nation that will help agricultural producers and rural small businesses reduce their energy consumption and costs, and use renewable energy technologies in their operations. 

Science-Based Methods for Entity-Scale Quantification of Greenhouse Gas Sources and Sinks from Agriculture and Forestry Practices

On June 27, 2013, the National Alliance of Forest Owners (NAFO) released new data confirming the strong support that forest owners provide to the U.S. economy. "The Economic Impact of Privately-Owned Forests in the United States" reveals that forest owners support 2.4 million jobs, $87 billion in payroll, $223 billion in sales, and 5.7 percent of all U.S. manufacturing. In addition to the full report, NAFO provides a convenient snapshot of individual State data.

Online Systems Keep U.S. Ag Exporters Abreast of Regulations in Foreign Markets

European Union Timber Regulation

New European timber regulations went into effect March 3, 2013. For additional details, go here and here.

Wind Wood Utilization

Wind Wood is the hub for information specifically related to the preparation for, response to, and recovery from major wind events and the utilization of downed and damaged timber and woody debris that can be generated.

Urban Forest Products Alliance LinkedIn

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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LEED and Biomass Thermal Energy:  How to Get Credits for Your Project

November 6, 2013

The Biomass Thermal Energy Council hosted this Webinar focused on how biomass thermal systems are addressed within the USGBC's LEED program. The webinar includes a description of eligible biomass thermal credits, special considerations, and two case studies of real world buildings using biomass thermal systems that took separate credit approaches. Click here to view the webinar.

Small Sawmill Workshop

October 24, 2013

This workshop focused on small sawmills and lumber drying operations that use gas engines, diesel engines, and single phase electric power. To view workshop handouts and photos, click here. For additional information, contact Harry Watt from North Carolina State University at 704-880-5034.

Profitably Drying Small Quantities of Lumber Workshop

September 25-26, 2013

This workshop demonstrated the use of a 900-board-foot conventional steam dry kiln using sample boards to monitor the drying process. Attendees learned how dry kilns work and how they can add profitability to a sawmill and/or wood processing operation. To view workshop handouts and photos, click here.  For additional information, contact Harry Watt from North Carolina State University at 704-880-5034.

Quarterly Webcast and Conference Call on Urban Wood Utilization

July 9, 2013

This Webcast includes presentations on the Baltimore Carbon Challenge Design Competition; the evolution and potential for an urban log sorting yard in Baltimore, MD; an update on the Tree Care Industry Association's A300 ANSI draft standard for urban tree harvesting; and an update on sanitizing walnut logs infested with thousand cankers disease.

Creating and Expanding the Market for Black Ash Baskets in the Northeast

June 19, 2013 

(WERC Award Number 2011-DG-109)

This Webcast provides an overview and results of a project funded with the Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance. The project's primary focus was market-oriented activities to improve the market for high-value ash baskets.

Heat Treatment of Firewood and Logs Using Steam and Vacuum

May 21, 2013 (WERC Award Number 2011-DG-058)

This Webcast provides results of a study funded at the VA Tech Department of Sustainable Biomaterials to evaluate using a vacuum/steam treatment process for sanitizing firewood.

Quarterly Webcast and Conference Call on Urban Wood Utilization and Markets

April 9, 2013

This quarterly Webcast includes updates on the Tree Care Industries Association's A300 ANSI draft standard for urban tree harvesting, Illinois Emerald Ash Borer Wood Utilization Team, southeast Michigan ash-urban wood utilization activities, and an overview of Missouri's urban wood utilization workshop.

Profitable Firewood Processing Workshop and Webcast  

September 27, 2012 (Award Number 2011-DG-057)

This workshop provided an educational and networking event for the firewood processing industry pertaining to the latest knowledge about processing, kiln drying, and marketing firewood. 

2012 Wood Industry Week @ WERC
View this series of workshops online. 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-sized enterprises in the U.S. wood products industry. (Wood Industry Week was not held in 2013; the next one is planned for March 2014.)