WOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY - Oregon State University

WOOD SCIENCE &TECHNOLOGYTom McLainTerry BrownDepartment of Wood Science & Engineering

Module Outline Wood—why we care in the 21st CenturyTree-ology and Wood ScienceWood Properties and YouThe Products and the TechnologyCareers and Challenges for Gen X,Y and Z

Goals Gain appreciation for the role of wood in 21stCenturyUnderstand some basic physiology and woodscience, and how that relates to wood productsLearn some important wood properties thatinfluence how it is used and misusedBecome aware of how technology isrevolutionizing our relationship with wood

Goals -2 Become familiar with some of the diverse careerpaths that start with wood science andtechnologyIntroduce you to some of the challenges you willface as a 21st Century consumer.

Reading Assignments Chapter 20 of Young and GieseOn Blackboard:Bowyer, “Sustainability and the Resource Managerof Tomorrow” Moore, “Trees are the Answer” Sutton, “Wood in the Third Millenium” Sutton, “Does the world need planted forests?”

Available in SLC orbookstore Great overview ofUS forest history Quick read with lotsof pictures

Wood—why do we care in the 21stCentury?

Short Answers Money, jobsKeeps private land in forests Employs millions of people Supports many public services Essential to human existence as we know it

Forests, Wood and Society:A Repeating Process Easy Forest Access Society DevelopsLocal Forests Decline Colonization,Diplomacy, Trade, Military VenturesForest Decline Continues Decline inSociety

Wood Through Time The foundation on which early civilizationwas builtSociety’s principal fuel Fuel is still largest single use for woodSociety’s principal building materialWood use is directly related to livingstandards and literacy

Fuel Wood Created: Heat from wood fires made cold climateshabitableInedible grains changed to major foodsourcesClay converted to potteryMetal could be extracted from oreGlass could be made from sandSteam for steamboats, locomotives andindustry

Wood Built: Ships to explore new worldsWaterwheels to generate mechanical powerTools for everyday lifeShelter from the elements and enemiesWagons, carts, chariots, and bridgesSpear shafts and arrowsEconomical ways to communicate and dobusiness—books, newspapers, letters, etc.

How Do Trees Produce Wood?CO2erengyThe sun provides energy tocombine carbon dioxide gas(from the air) with water (fromthe soil).CO2 H2O glucose (sugar)Glucose units link in long chainsto form cellulose-- the primarycomponent of wood fibers.H2O

sLumberParticleboardVeneer Oriented StrandBoard (OSB)PlywoodLaminated VeneerLumber (LVL)Parallel-StrandLumber moditiesRayonTencelConversionto Fuels ctRecoveryfromEffluentsWoodExtractionand TreeExudatesEthanolVanillinTurpentineFatty AcidsTanninsRosinTurpentine

Conversion Methods Mechanical SawingPeelingSlicingChippingCrushingFiberization Chemical PulpingPyrolysisExtraction

Primary ProductsMade from a log LumberPoles and PostsVeneerChips and PulpFlakes

Secondary ProductsMade From a Primary Product FurnitureCabinetsPaper and Paperboard 1000’s of others Primary/Secondary classifications are fuzzy SecondaryProducts are also called Value-Added Products

End Uses Literally 1000’s of end usesPrincipal materials Sawn lumber, veneerFuel woodComposite products (plywood, particleboard, etc)Paper & paperboard

End Uses Secondary products FurnitureMolding, millwork, etcMany others Food additives (gum arabic, cellulose x,Clothing (rayon, tencel, lyocel)Film, cigarette filtersSolventsSee http:\wood.orst.edu for more aboutproducts

What wood products have youbeen intimate with during thepast three hours? Toothbrush and toothpasteToilet paperRayon clothingBreakfast CerealYour house Hair combsShampooMakeup and lipstickPerfume, shavinglotionChewing gum

Why Use Wood? Renewable ural heritageMakes usefulproducts Favorable properties PhysicalMechanicalChemicalEasy to work with simple toolsLow energy consumptionSource of fiber and chemicalsTo store carbon for longperiods

ANNUAL WOOD CONSUMPTIONPer Capita (Cubic 0.511.522.5Source: FAO Statistical Database (www.fao.org), Population Reference Bureau (www.prb.org).Yr 2001

Global Wood Harvest1950 to 2000Million wood198019902000Indust. RWSource: FAO (2002) www.fao.org

WORLD WOOD USE AND 965197019751980World PopulationSource: FAO Statistical database (www.fao.org)198519901995Wood Used20001.002005Rev 11/03Wood Harvest (million cu m)World Population (Billion)7

WORLD WOOD USE AND POPULATION4.0063.5053.0042.50What Happened?32.0021.5010195519601965197019751980World PopulationSource: FAO Statistical database (www.fao.org)198519901995Wood Used20001.002005Rev 11/03Wood Harvest (million cu m)World Population (Billion)7

Total Wood Consumption:1960-1995

Per Capita Consumption of KeyRaw Materials in the U.S. - 1998By Sources: Dr. James Bowyer, University of Minnesota; Steel, Aluminum, Cement: US GeologicalSurvey; Plastics: Society for the Plastics Industry and the American Plastics Council; Wood: USForest Products Laboratory and FAO

US Softwood Lumber g9%Repair &Remodeling28%Source: WWPA, 1999 Statistical YearbookOther8%Residentialconstruction41%

Here are the paper products that a family of fourtypically uses in just one year 1985. This includespackaging left at grocery stores or shopping centerswhere items are unpacked. Each American“consumes” over 600 lb of paper annually.

U.S. TIMBER PRODUCTSPRODUCTION, TRADE, CONSUMPTION(1999)Roundwood Equivalent(Millions of Cubic Feet10000Net of Imports-Exports8000Domestic lywoodandVeneerSource: Howard, J.L. 2001 U.S. Timber Production, Trade, Consumption and PriceStatistics 1965-1999. U.S. Forest Service FPL-RP-595Misc

Demand for WoodIncreases with Population Especially fuel woodPopulation isincreasing, mostly indeveloping countriesPer capitaconsumption in theworld has declinedslightly since 1960

Demand for WoodIncreases and shifts with economic growth Fuel wood demand declines with income growthIndustrial round wood demand increases with : Increase with gross domestic product;Increase in personal disposable incomeSwitch to using more complex products, and moreof themEconomic growth slows population growth

Wood Science and TechnologyWood Science .thatbody of knowledge applicable to .wood as a material, including its origin, properties,composition and characteristics.Wood Technology .the application of knowledge inthe conversion, processing and the many uses of wood,including the design, manufacture and marketing of woodproducts.

Wood Science and TechnologyGoals Economic well-being of humancommunitiesImproved human quality of lifeConservation of forest resources through:Efficient manufacture and use Intelligent consumption

“The long and short of the matter isthat forest conservation depends inpart on intelligent consumption, aswell as intelligent production oflumber”Aldo Leopold, 1928American Forests, May 1928, p 276-277.

Wood Science and Technology. Wood Science .that body of knowledge applicable to . wood as a material, including its origin, properties, composition and characteristics. Wood Technology .the application of knowledge in the conversion, processing and the many uses of wood, including the design, manufacture and marketing of wood products.