Annual Report 2019

The Oregon Wood Innovation Center continues to emphasize connections to assist Oregon wood products firms solve challenges and pursue new business opportunities. We work to connect industry personnel with our resources and technical information, help connect buyers and sellers of Oregon forest products, and enable industry professionals to network with one another.

Below are highlights of our activities and accomplishments in 2019 and brief details on where we are headed in 2020.

2019 Activities

Courses/Workshops - we offered several of our long-standing courses - How to Dry Lumber for Quality & Profit (now offered online), the NAWLA Wood Basics Course, Wood Adhesion Short Course, Forest Products Management Development, and our Quality Control in Wood Products Manufacturingcourse (on-site for 2 companies) as well as: Structural Plywood & Veneer-Based Products Wood Composites Science Distance Education series - 7 modules are now available: Wood Structure, Wood & Water Relationships, Applied Statistics & Data Analysis, Wood Adhesion Science & Technology, Strand-Based Composite Manufacturing, Practical Wood Adhesives Technology and the newest course in the series Plywood & Veneer-Based Products. Hosting the 24th annual International Wood Machining Seminar in Corvallis (Aug 25-30, 2019)

• • Contract projects - several projects were conducted to help Oregon firms explore new products and new markets including:
    
    • Millwork - assessment of acetylated veneer used for exterior door panels - specimens were tested in our MCMEC in the Green Building Materials Lab and assessed over a 30-day period for UV exposure, direct water spray, as well as temperature and humidity extremes; evaluation of performance (warping, checking, R value) of insulated exterior doors; durability and stability testing of a Salem company's new line of engineered flooring
    • Hardwood plywood - testing of bending strength and screw withdrawal of hardwood plywood produced from non-traditional species
    • Siding - wood property testing of eucalyptus lap siding
    • Particleboard - evaluation of a variety of wax emulsions

  
  
  

  Coatings - we continued our 18-month project to evaluate 12 exterior coatings on 5 wood species in outdoor exposure; specimens were placed in Corvallis and Madras, OR Non-traditional species - evaluation of wood quality of Willamette Valley ponderosa pine

  Exterior coatings test at 'post farm', North of Corvallis, OR

Work In Progress

We also continue to focus on both short-term problem-solving technical assistance as well as longer-term efforts to assist Oregon firms remain competitive in the global marketplace. Examples of work-in-progress include:

• Development of composite panel products from western juniper residues (slabs, edgings, sawdust, and planer shavings)
• Performance assessment of composite panel products produced from reclaimed building materials
• Continuing to maintain and update our Oregon Forest Industry Directory