July 2001 (Volume 23, Number 3)
HARDWOOD DRY KILN OPERATOR'S SHORT COURSE OFFERED
A kiln charge of 8/4 red oak lumber which is honeycombed during the drying process can consume the profits of a sawmill for a long time. Likewise, it will destroy the yield of a cutting in a furniture plant. One of the best and most effective methods of insuring quality is by providing training for your dry kiln operators and their supervisors. NC State University's Wood Products Extension will conduct its 33rd annual Dry Kiln Operator's Short Course at Haywood Community College in Clyde, NC from September 11-14, 2001. The course is co-sponsored by the Southeastern Dry Kiln Club. The main thrust of the course is to teach the participants how to operate a kiln on a daily basis including sample selection and preparation, schedule selection, kiln monitoring, equalizing, and conditioning. The course participants will not only hear the theory of dry kiln operation, but will gain hands on experience drying a kiln load of lumber. The course is designed to give new kiln operators a strong background in drying lumber but has also proved to be a good refresher course for experienced operators. For additional information contact Joe Denig at 919-515-5582 (voice), 919-515-8739 (fax) or joe_denig@ncsu.edu (e-mail).ROUGH MILL IMPROVEMENT WORKSHOP PLANNED
NC State University's Wood Products Extension will conduct a Rough Mill Improvement Workshop at Catawba Valley Community College in Hickory, NC on September 26-27, 2001. The course is designed to give those who manage, supervise or schedule either a traditional or modern rough mill practical techniques and recommendations that will help increase productivity and yield in their cut-up operations. The course will be taught by personnel from NC State and the US Forest Service. The two day workshop will cover traditional rough mills on day one, and modern rough mills (computerized, optimizing rough mills ) on day two. Attendees may register for either one or both days. The course targets rough mill supervisors, lead personnel, plant managers, engineers, and yield coordinators working in lumber cut-up operations. Topics to be covered in the course include: lumber and processing factors which affect yield including optimal grade mix selection; practices to improve yield and productivity in conventional lumber cut-up operations; operational benefits and issues associated with optimizing saws and computerized rough mills; optimization strategies at the chop saw and gang saw; gang arbor design; and how to model the operation of your rough mill. For additional information contact Phil Mitchell at 919-515-5581 (voice), 919-515-8739 (fax) or phil_mitchell@ncsu.edu (e-mail).NEW DEAN FOR THE COLLEGE OF NATURAL RESOURCES
Dr. Larry A. Nielsen, professor of natural resources and director of the School of Forest Resources at The Pennsylvania State University has been named the new dean of North Carolina State University's College of Natural Resources. Nielsen, an expert on sustainable resource management and natural resource education, will begin his new job at NC State on August 1. He will succeed Dr. Larry Tombaugh who is retiring after leading the college since 1989. Before his position at Penn State, Nielsen was a faculty member at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University from 1977 to 1994, serving the last five years as head of the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences. During his tenure at Virginia Tech, he spent a one-year sabbatical as a special assistant to the Bureau of Fish Management in the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. He served in Vietnam as a military policeman and laboratory technician prior to his academic career. Nielsen, 52, earned his doctoral degree in fisheries biology from Cornell University in 1978, and his master's degree in the same discipline from the University of Missouri in 1974. His 1970 undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois was in honors biology. He is a certified fisheries scientist, a fellow of the American Institute of Natural Fisheries Biologists and honorary member of the American Fisheries Society.PLYWOOD MANUFACTURING SHORT COURSE OFFERED
The Hardwood Plywood & Veneer Association and NC State University's Wood Products Extension will conduct Hardwood Plywood Manufacturing 101: Common Problems and How to Solve Them on October 15-16, 2001 at NC State University in Raleigh, NC. The updated and improved course is designed to provide participants with troubleshooting and problem-solving tips and techniques in all areas of hardwood plywood production, and is therefore ideal for managers, supervisors, quality control personnel, and others involved in hardwood plywood manufacturing. Sessions will be conducted on solving problems associated with the green end, drying, splicing, adhesives, glue spreaders, lay-up and pressing, and sanding, as well as the always popular wood anatomy, market and resource trends, grading, and panel handling presentations. The short course registration fee of $295 will cover the cost of the course and materials, breaks, and lunches (other meals and lodging are not included). The class size will be limited to 40 and will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Last year the course filled up quickly so be sure to register early. For more information contact Larry Jahn at 919-515-5579 (voice), 919-515-8739 (fax) or larry_jahn@ncsu.edu (e-mail).NEW FOREST INVENTORY PUBLICATION NOW AVAILABLE
The USDA-Forest Service has released Forest Statistics for the Southern Coastal Plain of North Carolina, 1999, Resource Bulletin SRS-59. This report summarizes results from a 1999 inventory of the forest resources for the following counties: Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, Cumberland, Duplin, Greene, Harnett, Hoke, Johnston, Jones, Lee, Lenoir, Moore, New Hanover, Onslow, Pender, Richmond, Robeson, Sampson, Scotland, Wayne. Current estimates of forest area, timberland area, related classifications such as ownership and forest type, and timber volumes are presented and compared with previous values. Average annual rates of growth, removals, and mortality are summarized since the previous inventory in 1990. Resource data are presented in 49 tables and 9 graphs. To obtain your free copy contact Larry Jahn at 919-515-5579 (voice), 919-515-8739 (fax) or larry_jahn@ncsu.edu (e-mail). A full report can also be downloaded from the Forest Service's web site at www.srs.fs.fed.us.
STRONGER CONSUMER INFORMATION PROGRAM ANNOUNCED
Throughout the summer consumers can expect to find improved safety handling information when using wood pressure-treated with chromated copper arsenicals (CCA), a wood preservative that contains a form of arsenic. EPA has completed its review of a plan developed by the American Wood Preservers Institute (AWPI) to strengthen information available to consumers for CCA-treated wood, which is widely used for many outdoor applications including decks, fences, posts, picnic tables, docks, and playground equipment. The expanded consumer information program begins immediately, and by early fall will include labeling on all pieces of CCA-treated lumber, in-store displays and additional information available to the public. EPA's comments on the AWPI proposal are available at: www.epa.gov/pesticides.
Edited by: Larry G. Jahn
Wood Products Extension Specialist