VOLUME 24, NUMBER 2
APRIL 2002
WOOD PRODUCTS MAGIC SHOW A HIT
The Department of Wood and Paper Science's first annual North Carolina Wood Products Magic Show (organized by Larry Jahn) was a big hit. This event was co-sponsored by the Wood Education and Resource Center, USDA Forest Service. The educational and visually stimulating program, targeted at 3rd and 4th graders, presented information about the wood products industry, and focused on wood and paper products produced from our renewable timber resources. It featured active, hands-on demonstrations and interactive experiments, including those listed below:
House Video - This video presented a tree's perspective as it grows, travels to the mill and job site, and becomes part of a new house (Grieco).
Rock Stars - This was a demonstration of the strength of wood in bending. A bucket was suspended from a stick of wood, and rocks of known weight were added to the bucket until the stick broke (Peralta).
Wood Sandwich - This demonstrated how plywood is made from thin wood pieces that are glued together. A grilled cheese sandwich was used as an analogy, with the bread as wood veneer, the cheese as glue, and heat applied to melt the cheese and hold the sandwich together (Kelly).
Ted Termite - Children discovered how termites live and eat wood, learned how to prevent their damage, and watched termites follow their noses (Denig).
The Three R's: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle - These terms were explained and children saw how wood products are recycled into a variety of products (Buehlmann).
Daily Wood and Bubbling Bazookas - Children took part in an active discussion, with questions and answers about the many ways we use wood in our lives, where wood comes from, and the differences between white and red oaks (Peszlen).
Computer Fun - Math skills and the importance of education were emphasized here. Children saw a computerized router cut programmed designs in samples of wood (Mitchell).
The underlining themes of this event included how wood adds value to your quality of life, how the wood products industry is taking a responsible, sustainable approach to the use of timber resources, and how science is used to improve production of the many wood products we use every day. Six classes attended the event (125 students plus six teachers). When asked to give an overall rating of the Show as to how helpful it was in providing students with useful information in a fun way, the average score was 4.9 (1=not helpful, 5=very helpful).
WOOD TREATMENT CERTIFICATION SCHOOL OFFERED
NC State University's Wood Products Extension in conjunction with the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences will conduct a Wood Treatment Certification School at McKimmon Center on the campus of NC State University, June 4-5, 2002. This school is designed for individuals using formulations containing inorganic arsenicals, pentachlorophenol or creosote for wood preservation by pressure, spray, dip and brush treatment, for sapstain and mold control, and for ground line treatment of poles since they must be licensed to apply these restricted use chemicals. The first day is a general session on applying pesticides correctly. The second day is a specialty session on wood treatment. For additional information contact Larry Jahn, NC State University, Campus Box 8003, Raleigh, NC 27695-8003, 919.515.5579 (voice), 919.515.8739 (fax), larry_jahn@ncsu.edu (e-mail).
IMPROVING YOUR WOOD GLUING OPERATIONS WORKSHOP
NC State University's Wood Products Extension will conduct an Improving Your Wood Gluing Operations Workshop in Raleigh on July 24-25, 2002. The workshop will combine both classroom presentations and laboratory demonstrations to provide both the knowledge and practical experience necessary to form a good glue joint. The course will focus on wood panel (edge gluing) manufacturing and wood veneering. The course will target supervisors, lead persons, engineers, and plant managers involved in or responsible for wood gluing operations. Topics will include: adhesive characteristics; surface preparation; correct edge gluing and veneering techniques; and troubleshooting. Attendance will be limited. For more information contact Phil Mitchell at 919.515.5581 (voice), 919.515.8739 (fax) or phil_mitchell@ncsu.edu (e-mail).
MOISTURE MEASUREMENTS WORKSHOP OFFERED
The Southeastern Dry Kiln Club Spring 2002 meeting will focus on Moisture Measurements for the Wood Products Industry. The meeting will be in a workshop format and is being held at North Carolina State University's Hodges Wood Products Laboratory in Raleigh, NC on May 9 and 10, 2002. Kiln operators, lumber salesman, lumber purchasers, rough mill operators and inspectors often face the question "what is the actual moisture content of the lumber?" This question becomes more acute in a down market. Attendees will have the opportunity to conduct hands-on comparisons between different types of moisture meters and various tests, and will learn the correct way to use each meter and each test, and what the limitation is for each procedure. The types of meters demonstrated will range from various types of hand held meters to a new in-line moisture meter. For more information contact Phil Mitchell at 919.515.5581 (voice), 919.515.8739 (fax) or phil_mitchell@ncsu.edu (e-mail) or Joe Denig at 919.515.5582 (voice), 919.515.8739 (fax) or joe_denig@ncsu.edu (e-mail).
MOST RESIDENTIAL USES OF CCA LUMBER TO BE REPLACED
On February 12, 2002, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a voluntary decision by industry to move consumer use of treated lumber products away from a variety of pressure treated wood that contains arsenic by December 31, 2003, in favor of new alternative wood preservatives. This transition affects virtually all residential uses of wood treated with chromated copper arsenate, also known as CCA, including wood used in playground equipment, decks, picnic tables, landscaping timbers, residential fencing, patios, and walkways/boardwalks. By January 2004, EPA will not allow CCA products for any of these residential uses. This decision will facilitate the voluntary transition to new alternative wood preservatives that do not contain arsenic in both the manufacturing and retail sectors. Although the Agency has not concluded that there is unreasonable risk to the public from these products, they do believe that any reduction in exposure to arsenic is desirable. This action comes years ahead of completing the Agency's regulatory and scientific assessment of CCA and will result in substantial reductions in potential exposure to CCA. Additional information on this subject can be found on our web site at http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/nreos/wood/. Click on CCA Update.
Edited by: Larry G. Jahn
Wood Products Extension Specialist