Forum Notes

Forest Products Technical Assistance
Providers and Facilitators Forum
November 5-8, 2003

Fort Collins, Colorado

On November 6-8, 2003, the Colorado Wood Utilization and Marketing Assistance Center, Four Corners Sustainable Forests Partnership, Oregon State University's Wood Products Extension Program, and the U.S. Forest Service hosted a 3-day forum for forest products technical assistance providers and facilitators in Fort Collins, CO. The purpose of the forum was to improve communication among forest products technical assistance providers and facilitators to enhance effectiveness, and leverage investments and resources.  This Forum was a follow-up to the 2002 Forum held in Corvallis, OR.   

Contained here are the list of participants and links to the presentations given at the forum.  

Plans are underway for the 2004 Forum.  You will receive notice of the plans for the forum if you are on the "contacts" list.  However, if you are not on the list and would like to receive future notices, please fill out the database form.

Four Corners Sustainable Forests Partnership

Agenda:

November 6

• Setting Context - Facilitated State Panel Discussions:
  • Economic Development - Programs available for forest products businesses; examples of assistance provided and project results; and opportunities/ challenges
  • Technical Assistance and Research - Organization of technical assistance in respective states; examples of cooperative projects and results; and opportunities/ challenges
  • Industry Association and Non-Profit Organization - Most frequent inquiries they receive and how they are answered; examples of assistance provided and project results; and opportunities/ challenges
• Structured Individual Updates - Participants will share examples of recent, current, and planned assistance efforts and results; personal expertise or strong interests individuals are willing to share with other assistance providers; areas where help is needed; cooperative project ideas 
• Front Range Fuels Treatment Partnership (Dave Hessel, Colorado State Forest Service)
• History and Current Structure & Function of Northeast U&M Council (Ken Kilborn, US Forest Service) - [NE U&M Council Bylaws]
• Web-based tools for U&M (Scott Leavengood, OSU)
  • List of state forest industry directories

November 7  - Hot Topics in Forest Products Utilization & Marketing

• Status Updates for the 2002 Forum Topics
  • Ethanol from Wood Fiber Cellulose (John Shelly, UC Berkeley)
  • Preservatives and Treatments - Updates on double-dip diffusion and CCA regulations and substitutes (Ken Kilborn, US Forest Service)
  • Newer Forest Products Composites and Hardeners (Catherine Mater, Mater Engineering)
  • Environmental Certification (Scott Leavengood reporting for Eric Hansen, OSU)
• Biomass Power from Forest Fuels Treatments: Economic and Policy Issues (Mark Nechodom, USFS), and Biomass Power Generation Project Development: Some Items to Consider, Mark Nechodom presenting for Tad Mason, TSS Consultants)
• Brief update on the recently initiated “Inventory Analysis of Western U.S. U&M Projects” (Mark Nechodom, USFS)  
• Woodfiber-Plastics Composites: The Juniper Sign Project (Jim Muehl, US Forest Products Lab)  
• CROP and "Levelized Supply": A New Planned Harvest Protocol for Public Forestlands and Small Log Supply (Catherine Mater, Mater Engineering) 
• Opportunities for Utilizing Biomass from Small Diameter Trees (Kurt Mackes, CSU)
• Manufacturing Extension Partnership (Russ Mills, MAMTC-Pittsburg State University) 
• Sudden Oak Death Syndrome (John Shelly, UC Berkeley)
• Small-Diameter Roundwood Timber Connections and More (Mark Knaebe, US Forest Products Lab)

November 8 - Small Diameter Timber Harvesting Equipment Demonstration