Demand for solid wood products (lumber, panels, furnishing) and fiber products (paper and paperboard) continues to grow while changing regulations and public values have reduced local timber harvest levels by approximately 30%. Many rural communities, once economically healthy, remain depressed from the severe loss of jobs following the 80% reduction in US Forest Service timber sales nine years ago. As a result, the income disparity between urban and rural counties has increased significantly. Many acres within the State of Washington have been withdrawn from timber production to conserve critical habitat for the northern spotted owl and other potentially endangered species. New rules to protect salmon habitat will further limit timber production.

Forestry and forest products manufacturing are extremely important to the state of Washington in spite of these difficulties. School construction is funded directly with revenues from forestry operations. Overall, the forest products industry constitutes 10% of Washington's economy. It is the second largest manufacturing sector and it is still the primary economic contributor in many rural areas. Advances in the technologies critical to forest production, management, and engineering, as well as forest products manufacturing, will sustain the jobs and economic health of rural communities while promoting the environment enjoyed by urban communities.

Technology for improving forest production, management, and engineering

Intensive forest management techniques, such as fertilization, thinning and pruning, and better protection against insects, disease and fire, have led to dramatic increases in production levels per acre. Research has shown that substantial productivity increases (in the range of 40% to 80%) are both technically and economically feasible. Even greater increases may become possible when the expertise of Washington's forestry and agriculture sectors is merged with applications of cutting-edge genomics technologies from the world of molecular biology. The application of genetic technology will increase the yield from plantation forests and provide the forest products industry with a predictable supply of quality wood. Both the University of Washington and Washington State University have major research programs in plantation forestry with have resulted in the establishment of thousands of acres of fast-growing hybrid poplar "fiber farms" east and west of the Cascades. The UW’s Forest Tree Genome Project seeks to identify and determine the function of every gene in trees, then to use this information to engineer dramatic increases in wood yield and quality. It took 10,000 years for humans to domesticate wild grasses into cereal crops. The science of genomics will allow us to accomplish the equivalent task of domesticating trees within just a few decades. The Forest Tree Genome Project can help Washington lead the world in the planting of sustainable, high-yield forests.

Significant gains in wood quality, habitat conditions and even water quality can also be made through the rational application of silvicultural principles and the careful engineering design and implementation of in-woods processes and industrial operations. New technologies will allow us to consider the details of snags, downed logs, and other forms of timber in new ways that will improve both forest quality and productivity. Incorporating this information into design, management and operations will enable us to resolve conflicts between demands for increased production and demands for habitat protection.

Technology for improving wood processing

Researchers at the UW and the US Forest Service have shown that employing new control technologies in wood processing can double yields and value upgrades. Among other things, these allow small dimension wood that once would have been wasted or utilized only as lower value chips for pulp to be converted into higher value manufactured products such as laminated lumber and wood-based composite beams. Advanced control technologies can also help improve the pulp and paper manufacturing process by reducing pollution and conserving energy.

Still more opportunities are created when the advances in forest management, forest engineering, and wood processing are integrated. To give just one example, this integration could occur by equipping harvesting machinery with sensors that are compatible with those used in sawmills. Information collected in the woods would then provide input for key decisions made during manufacturing as well as information for future stand management. The payoff would be more effective operations, more complete and efficient use of the resource and products, new commercial products, and better resulting environmental conditions. Even as little as a 10% improvement in product output would contribute about $1 billion to Washington’s economy and 25,000 new jobs for Washington residents, the majority of which would be in rural areas.

We seek technology leaders to work collaboratively with Washington’s forest products firms to develop and implement the new technologies that are needed for engineering and managing forests, for designing advanced manufacturing operations, and for creating new forest products. Part of that process will be a university/industry research effort and part will involve designing the programs necessary to re-train the state’s resident workforce.