STAND MANAGEMENT COOPERATIVE
Articles of Interest
Advanced Technology Initiative Funded by the Washington State Legislature Includes Precision Forestry and Forest Products Manufacturing at the UW College of Forest Resources
Dave Briggs,
SMC Director
The State of Washington Legislature recently funded portions of an Advanced Technology Initiative (ATI) proposal jointly submitted by the University of Washington and Washington State University. Of the 6 technology programs proposed, the legislature funded 1.5 at WSU and 2.5 at UW in permanent long-term funding. One of those at UW, for $500,000 per biennium, is “Precision Forestry and Forest Products Manufacturing” which will be let by the College of Forest Resources. The College is forming a team of faculty and industry collaborators to further define and develop this new program. Forest industry advice and support will be crucial to its success. The remainder of this article briefly summarizes the ATI proposal and the Precision Forestry and Forest Products Manufacturing program.
What is the Advanced Technology Initiative?
ATI forms a partnership between the legislature, private industry, and
the research universities of the State of Washington as a major tool for
stimulating business activity. It creates new programs specifically targeted
toward creating new industries and transforming existing industries in the
areas of greatest future opportunity for the state of Washington and forms
a bridge between cutting edge research, education, and new economic activity.
The core of ATI is a set of “expertise clusters” with the goal
of leveraging research into direct economic benefits by transforming existing
industries and generating new enterprises.
What are “expertise clusters” and what do they cost?
Each expertise cluster consists of 3-5 faculty members and/or technical support staff, organized around a particular theme and nationally recognized research leaders. These researchers would direct their efforts toward providing the intellectual capital for new companies, increasing the competitiveness of regional industries, and educating students to work in new and transformed industries. Faculty and staff would be chosen specifically for their demonstrated ability to collaborate with the private sector to exploit the state’s best opportunities in advanced technologies. The cost of each cluster is approximately $1,000,000 per biennium for salaries, benefits, and operations. The College of Forest Resources, working with the University and industry supporters, hopes to get the appropriation for precision forestry and forest products manufacturing to the $1 million per biennium level in future legislative sessions.
What are the Opportunities?
The University of Washington and Washington State University collaborated to identify the best opportunities for leveraging the contributions of their research and private industry into expanded economic activities. The following target clusters were selected through a competitive process at UW and WSU in consultation with business leaders.
1. Computer animation and digital media (UW)
New companies are springing up to take advantage of the revolution in digital media. Outstanding research at the UW complements Washington’s digital media companies. The new program will help to make the region a leader in a new industry as well as to train people for employment in these industries.
2. Reproductive biology (WSU)
WSU’s Center for Reproductive Biology addresses problems of reduced salmon runs, pollution, and human health. It has already attracted external funding and spun off three new biotech firms. Additional investment will allow the Center to develop programs in fish reproduction, reproductive toxicology, breast cancer, and human fertility.
3. Infectious disease (UW)
UW researchers are unraveling the genetic codes for several disease-causing microorganisms. This work promises to provide entirely new ways to fight disease and new classes of pharmaceutical products. By adding to UW capabilities in microbial pathogenesis, combinatorial chemistry, and bioinformatics, the state can not only reap the economic benefits, but also the medical benefits of these discoveries.
4. Semiconductor manufacturing (WSU)
WSU’s Center of Semiconductor Research will build on existing links with Vancouver area electronics firms by pursuing research on semiconductor materials, design, and manufacture.
5. Advanced materials technologies (UW)
Precision forestry and forest products manufacturing
Markets for wood products continue to grow in spite of new limits on timber harvests. UW forestry researchers, however, are applying new technologies to forest production, management, and wood processing. A 10% improvement in output is within reach and such an increase would contribute approximately $1 billion to the state economy and 25,000 jobs - one half of them in rural areas.
Sustainable construction technology
The US currently lacks a central facility for research and testing of new construction materials. The result is reduced innovation, massive product failures, millions of dollars of litigation, and untold homeowner loss. UW scientists seek to crate a laboratory and clearinghouse for information about new materials.
6. Precision agriculture (WSU)
The new “precision agriculture” technologies being pioneered at WSU hold the potential for water savings, reduced use of chemicals, reduced pollution, increased production, and improved quality of crops. Precision agriculture research will also lead to new commercial products and businesses.
ATI represents a long-term plan and each of the clusters chosen was selected because it represents emerging educational and workforce needs where the strengths of private industry and university research combine to create unique opportunities for growth in Washington’s economy.
Advanced Technology for Precision Forestry and Forest Products Manufacturing
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.
Significant gains in wood quality, habitat conditions and even water quality can also be made through the rational application of silviculture 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 technologies 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.
The payoff from technology integration
Still more opportunities are created when the advances in forest management, forest engineering, and wood processing are integrated. Equipping harvesting machinery with sensors that are compatible with those used in sawmills would be one example of this integration. 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.
Making it happen
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.