NA Header with logos
In This Issue
2017 Wood Innovations Funding Opportunity
Wood Innovations Funding Opportunity Highlight - State Wood Innovation Teams
WERC Wood Energy Technical Assistance Team
Archive Webcasts
Other Items of Interest


Quick Links

 

 

View videos and follow us on...

View our videos on YouTube  Follow us on Twitter

 
Join Our Mailing List


W ood Education and    Home Wood Education and Resource Center
Resource Center Update  

May 2017
2017 Wood Innovations Funding Opportunity
View of wood beams in building construction. U.S. Forest Service Awards Funds to Expand, Accelerate Wood Energy and Wood Products Markets in 19 States
Thirty-eight proposals submitted through the Forest Service's 2017 Wood Innovations grant program were selected for funding. Twelve were funded in the wood energy category and 26 were funded in the wood products category. Over $8.3 million of Forest Service funds will leverage almost $37 million in investments from partners, resulting in a total investment of over $45 million in 19 States. See this U.S. Forest Service news release for more detail.
 
View a list of the selected 2017 Wood Innovations grant recipients. For additional information about the Wood Innovations Funding Opportunity, go to the WERC Web site. Once there, go to the Wood Innovations box on the right side of the page.

For additional information, please contact Ed Cesa or Melissa Jenkins.
  Home
Wood Innovations Funding Opportunity Highlight - State Wood Innovation Teams
The 2017 funding opportunity adds two more State teams: Alabama and Arkansas. State Wood Innovation Teams play an important role in developing cooperative partnerships that include organizations such as local and state governmental agencies, nonprofits, industry representatives, and community officials. These partners work together to address ways to sustainably use forest resources that will create and/or maintain jobs, address forest health issues, and address ways to reduce hazardous fuels. View details about individual State teams. Once there, type "SWIT" in the Search by Keywords field.
WERC Wood Energy Technical Assistance Team
The WERC Wood Energy Technical Assistance Team is currently working on a number of projects in cooperation with State Wood Energy Teams in Kentucky, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Vermont.

Kentucky: The Team is working with the Lyon County School District to improve the performance of an existing wood-fired system. The Team has helped school district personnel improve both the fuel-handling performance and the fuel-feeding mechanism and is currently assessing the cost of a boiler modification.

Massachusetts: The Team is working with Deerfield Academy to provide a feasibility study to convert the school from fossil fuels to wood. The school has 30 buildings totaling nearly 500,000 square feet. Annual fossil fuel costs are about $650,000. The feasibility study will be used in an ongoing strategic planning process for campus capital investments.

New Hampshire: The Team is currently providing technical assistance to Frohling Energy to improve the performance of a wood-fired boiler used in their wood chip drying operation. The Team led the process to retune the boiler to meet New Hampshire Renewable Energy Credit requirements for emissions. The Team's effort was successful when test results indicated the boiler was emitting less than .01 lbs/mmbtu of total filterable particulates using a multiclone. Additional emission testing is planned.

Pennsylvania: The State Wood Energy Team asked the Technical Assistance Team for help with feasibility studies at a wood products manufacturing facility and at a ski area. These two projects began in mid-May.

Vermont: The Team assisted school districts in Barre, Bellows Falls, and Wilmington to improve the performance of previously installed boiler systems. In the case of Barre, the Team reviewed the existing system and provided guidance to the school district regarding the installation of a new system. In the case of Bellows Falls and Wilmington, the Team reviewed the design and operation of both systems and helped school staff implement changes to the controls of both systems as well as changes in plumbing designs.  The changes enabled greater use of both systems and reductions in fossil fuel use.

For additional information, contact Lew McCreery.


Home 
Archive Webcasts
 
April 2017 Urban Wood Utilization Webcast
Presentation topics included an update on the four-state "Bringing Urban Forestry Full Circle Project"; presentation on Introducing Urban Wood To Design Professionals; Overview of Washington, DC, Wood Utilization Activities; Street Trees As a Source of Urban Timber in Washington, DC; update on the National Firewood workshop in Statesville, NC; and update on the Virginia Urban Wood Group.

October 2016 Urban Wood Utilization Webcast
Presentation topics included an update on the Tree Care Industry Association's draft urban forest products standard; update on an urban wood seminar held at the International Woodworking Fair in Atlanta, GA; an example of urban wood utilization in Charlotte, NC; overview of the Southeast Forest Products Exchange; and updates from Illinois, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan.
Other Items of Interest 

Virginia Community Wood Energy Program

Southeast Urban Wood Exchange
 
North Carolina Forest Service and FORESTINFO.org

USDA Forest Service State and Private Forestry Forest Products Laboratory Wood Innovations 

Wood2Energy

Update on the Housing Market 
From Urs Buehlmann, Virginia Tech, Department of Sustainable Biomaterials. View all housing reports. 
 
From Don Deckard, Minnesota DNR Division of Forestry
 
Wind Wood Utilization
Wind Wood Utilization 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.
 
 






The use of trade, firm, or corporation names in this Update is for the information and convenience of the reader. Such use does not constitute official endorsement or approval by the U.S. Department of Agriculture of any product or service to the exclusion of others that may be suitable.
 
Wood Education and Resource Center Staff
Lew McCreery, Acting Director, (304) 285-1538,  [email protected]
Ed Cesa, Deputy Director, (304) 285-1530, [email protected]