Research

As we move into the 21st century, the South will assume a major share of the responsibility for providing our Society's needs for forest resources. Currently, the South's forests provide for about 60 percent of pulp and 40 percent of the solid wood products used by the Nation. With demand expected to grow substantially over the next 50 years, the South faces a monumental challenge in helping to meet the renewable material needs of our Nation. Increased reliance on composite wood products will be necessary to fulfill the need for versatile and affordable construction materials for housing, furniture, and other products. Fortunately, recent developments have highlighted a number of opportunities to address these needs, and have more clearly defined the challenges that research must meet to resolve some of the complex issues.

Research Work Unit SRS-4704 utilizes a multi-disciplinary approach to study virtually every aspect of wood composite production in order to more efficiently utilize the available resource, and to minimize the environmental impacts associated with wood processing. The research program is structured into four distinct problem areas, listed below:

Problem Areas:
Problem Area 1. Wood Quality
Problem Area 2. Characterization of Wood and Woody Biomass
Problem Area 3. Improvement and Reuse of Solid Wood Products
Problem Area 4. Utilization of Southern Resources in Bio-based Products






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