Issue #12

Wood Products Processing

 

 

Problem, Opportunity Statement

 

The wood products industries continue to provide significant economic advantage to Pennsylvania, as other primary manufacturing industries disappear or relocate from the Commonwealth.  Over two thousand wood products-related companies have annual sales over 5 billion dollars and account for 10 percent of the state’s manufacturing employment with about 90,000 employees. Individual firms range from one-person cabinet shops to major facilities that employ several hundred persons. Nationally, Pennsylvania ranks number one in hardwood production.  Products span the spectrum from disposable diapers to wooden cabinets, and from engineered wood products to fine furniture. The wood products industry represents a major economic opportunity, spurred by a plentiful supply of timber and unprecedented global demand for many of the select hardwood species that comprise Pennsylvania ’s forests.

 

The use of wood products continues to be an intelligent and responsible choice for society. Wood as an industrial raw material is sustainable, renewable, and much of the time is used for products that have the potential to be recycled at the end of their service life. In fact, of the 500 million tons of industrial raw materials consumed annually in the United States, wood makes up almost half (47%) of this quantity by weight. The energy consumption when manufacturing lumber and wood products accounts for only 4 percent of the annual net energy consumed in the manufacture of all industrial raw materials in our country, when reduced by the energy produced by the burning of process by-products and wood waste. The renewable nature and energy consumption in manufacturing provides a material that is extremely important for our future.

 

However, the wood products industries of Pennsylvania are under intense international competition, both for the raw material resource in the Commonwealth and the markets for the products.  Asian, South American, and Eastern European countries in particular are moving into furniture production, and the resources and markets once reliable to the economic benefit of Pennsylvania are being challenged.   One-third of the wood-furniture plants in the United States have been closed since 2000, with their production shipped overseas. Over the last three years, the United States has lost 34,000 wood furniture jobs, or 27 percent of the work force, data from the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics show.

 

Therefore, as we strive for sustainable use of our only renewable primary raw material resource, we must continue to identify areas of strategic importance that will sustain and increase the competitiveness of the Pennsylvania wood products industries, and provide new, cutting-edge training that addresses these opportunities.  Traditional wood utilization training must be strengthened and increased in availability, so that the industry has the best work force in the world, necessary to remain competitive in the international marketplace.  Our outreach cornerstones for meeting these needs will include rapid-response industry support, meeting the skills training needs for primary and secondary processing, and providing the latest up-to-date technological training for wood processors. 

 

 

Subject Matter Areas

 

  • Business and Marketing Planning

 

  • Supervisory Skills

 

  • Log Production

 

  • Industry Support

 

  • Primary Wood Processing

 

  • Technology for Wood Processors

 

  • Safety for Wood Processors

 

  • Public Education

 

 

Program Titles and/or Program Topics by Subject Matter Area

 

  • Business and Market Planning

o       Planning for Success

o       Developing a Marketing Plan

 

  • Supervisory Skills

o       Supervisory Skills

 

  • Log Production

o       Log Bucking for Value

o       Log Grading

o       Log to Lumber Workshop

 

  • Industry Support

o       In-plant special topics

o       WoodPro Web Site training

o       Hardwood Industries Leadership Development

o       Product evaluation and diagnosis

o       Wood Deconstruction and Recycling Techniques

o       Wood Structure and Identification

 

  • Primary Wood Processing

o       Basic Kiln Operators Short Course

o       Advanced Kiln Operators Short Course

o       Lumber Grading

o       Portable Mill Operation

o       Chip Production and Quality

 

 

  • Technology for Wood Processors

o       Spreadsheet Applications for the Wood Industry

o       Romi-Rip

o       Database Applications for the Wood Industry

o       Record Keeping for Loggers and Sawmills

o       Project Management

o       Technology Options for Log/Lumber Inventory Management and Quality

o       Technology Options for Resource Trends Analysis and Monitoring

o       Technology Options for Wood Pricing and Monitoring

o       Timber Resource Inventory Technology

o       Problem Solving Computer Tools for Wood Operations Management

 

  • Safety for Wood Processors

o       Pesticide Training

o       Secondary Wood Processing Safety

o       Chainsaw Safety, Maintenance, and Felling

o       Primary Wood Processing Safety

 

  • Public Education

o       Forest Products Awareness for Public Officials

o       Careers in the Forest Industry

o       Public Awareness of Forest Products

 

 

Resources

 

  • Business and Market Planning

o       Wood products specialists

o       Extension agents/educators

o       Wood products faculty

o       Partner-Allegheny Hardwood Utilization Group

o       Forest Products Laboratory publication (Bratkovitch)

o       HDC

o       IRC’s

 

  • Supervisory Skills

o       Wood products specialists (Ray, Stover)

o       Wood products faculty (Michael)

o       Extension Agents

 

  • Log Production

o       Wood products specialists

o       Forest resources agents/educators

o       Wood products faculty

o       Woodpro Website

o       Partner with SFI of PA

o       Partner with Jeff Tech

 

  • Industry Support (WoodPro)

o       Wood products specialists (Ray, Stover)

o       Wood products faculty (All)

o       Other PSU faculty (WoodPro associates)

o       Extension Agents

o       Funding agencies (e.g., HDC)

o       Industry associations

o       Public officials

o       Invited speakers

 

 

  • Primary Wood Processing

o       Wood products specialists (Stover, Ray)

o       Extension Agents

o       Wood products faculty

o       Partner-Allegheny Hardwood Utilization Group

o       NE HUG

o       HDC

 

  • Technology for Wood Processors

o       Wood products specialist (Ray)

o       PENNTAP specialist (Pletcher)

o       Wood products faculty

o       Woodpro Website

o       Extension Agents

 

  • Safety for Wood Processors

o       Wood products specialists

o       Forest resources agents/educators

o       Wood products faculty

o       Woodpro Website

o       Partner with SFI of PA logger training

o       Partner with FRA

o       Partner with Jeff Tech

o       Partner with Workmen’s Comp.

o       NIOSH- Morgantown, WV

o       Possible partner IUP

 

  • Public Education – Wood Products

o       Wood products specialists

o       Forest resources agents/educators

o       Wood products faculty

o       WoodPro Website

o       Wood products and industry curriculum for Careers and

o       From the Woods publications

o       Chapter 48 teachers in PA

o       Wood Mobile-HDC

 

  • Wood Products Processing   Overall

o       Wood products specialists

o       Forest resources agents

o       Wood products faculty

o       Woodpro Website

o       Hardwood Development Council

o       Partner with SFI of PA logger training

o       Partner with FRA

o       Partner with AHUG

o       Partner with Jeff Tech

o       Partner with Workmen’s Compensation Co’s.

o       NIOSH- Morgantown, WV

o       Possible partner IUP

o       Forest Products Laboratory

o       Wood Mobile-HDC

o       From the Woods publications

 

Indicators

 

  • Number of supervisory techniques implemented.
  • Number of supervisors reporting reduction in waste, turnover, and accidents.
  • Number of wood products companies reporting increased workforce competence and productivity.
  • Number of wood products companies reporting decreased injuries.
  • Number of certified lumber graders.
  • Number of wood products companies who report achieving higher value from log stream.
  • Number of companies that improve their technological capabilities.
  • Number of wood processors implementing technological applications.
  • Number of wood products producers who develop a business or market plan.
  • Number of wood products producers reporting planning success through use of plans.
  • Number of employees, loggers, students practicing best log utilization and production techniques.
  • Number of youth, adults, students, employees, loggers demonstrating safety practices.
  • Number of public officials, general public who demonstrate knowledge of the importance of forest and wood products industry to their communities.
  • Number of WoodPro site visits from Pennsylvania .
  • Number of employees of wood products producers attending programs.