Pacific Northwest Research Station

Groundbreaking for new Forest Service Lab scheduled

USDA Forest Service
Pacific Northwest Research Station

Portland, OR: August 22, 2011

Media assistance: Sherri Richardson Dodge, (503) 808-2137, srichardsondodge@fs.fed.us

JUNEAU, Alaska. August 22, 2011. A groundbreaking ceremony will be held to mark the beginning of construction for the Pacific Northwest Research Station’s Juneau Forestry Sciences Laboratory this Thursday, August 25 at 2 P.M. at the University of Alaska Southeast (UAS). Juneau Mayor Bruce Botelho, University of Alaska Southeast Chancellor John Pugh, and other local leaders and partners are expected to join U.S. Forest Service employees for the occasion.

“ After a thorough evaluation,” says Paul Brewster, Assistant Director for the Forest Service’s Pacific Northwest Research Station, “a recommendation to build on Forest Service land adjacent to the University of Alaska Southeast campus was selected as the best long-term alternative. While there has been a long history of strong relationships between UAS and the Forest Service, construction of a new lab adjacent to campus can only increase the potential for a highly collaborative environment among Forest Service research scientists and UAS university faculty and students.”

The new lab will be built on a 7-acre parcel of federal land that adjoins the UAS Auke Lake campus. The two-story, 11,000-square-foot building is projected to cost $8.3 million. It was designed by MRV Architects of Juneau and will be constructed by Dawson Construction Inc. to meet the Leadership in Energy and Environment Design silver certification requirements.

Planning for a new Forest Service research laboratory in Juneau began in the early 1980s. The Juneau Lab was previously housed in leased office space for about 15 years. A safety audit of the space identified several health and safety issues as well as poorly functioning laboratory space. The new building will house scientists from the station; State and Private Forestry, U.S. Forest Service; and staff from the Alaska Coastal Rain Forest Center.

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The PNW Research Station is headquartered in Portland, Oregon. It has 11 laboratories and centers located in Alaska, Oregon, and Washington and about 425 employees.