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Ketchikan Wood Technology Center

Issue

Declining log prices and constantly shrinking appearance lumber prices, in conjunction with the closing of Alaska’s two major pulp mills have created an Alaskan forest products industry in crisis. Because of these changes in Alaska’s historical forest products industry, Alaskan mills and producers are currently struggling to compete in 21st century shop, dimension lumber and engineered wood products markets because they have very little experience or support information regarding the physical properties of the remaining timber resources.

Background

Alaska has a number of native tree species that have traditionally been minimally processed prior to being sold, primarily, into an appearance lumber market. Subsequent, small or local studies have shown that these species have a number of other viable commercial uses that either: 1) use portions of the log that had been previously felt to have no commercial value, or 2) other end uses for the portions that had previously been processed into the appearance lumber market. Alaska’s struggling forest products industry needs fundamental knowledge of the physical and engineering properties of the timber resource in the state in order to make informed decisions regarding marketing and resource development. Alaska needs:

• In-grade or full size testing of its species for visually-graded dimension lumber,
• Veneer properties and strength grades for all of those species suitable for veneer production,
• Development of kiln drying schedules and veneer lathe and planer knife angle studies for our commercial species,
• Lumber grading services with Western Wood Products Association (WWPA) and GLULAM layup development with the APA - the Engineered Products Association, and
• Studies of machining properties, fire rating levels, etc.

The results of the above work will help Alaska’s forest product manufacturers statewide make the transition to a full participant in 21st Century wood fiber markets, and help forest managers make informed decisions regarding resource development.

Current Situation

The Ketchikan Wood Technology Center is a privately operated testing lab that was created to give focus to Alaska wood strength properties and R&D and technology development needed to show the lumber market the true strength of our important wood species. Those species include Sitka and white spruce, western hemlock, and Alaska yellow cedar. This knowledge will help transition Alaska from a resource extraction to a full fledged forest products economy in the 21st Century.

The above studies, among others, are being conducted as funding becomes available. The Center is funded by and working cooperatively with:

• USDA Forest Service (Alaska Region, S&PF; PNW Research Station, Wood Utilization Center; and the Forest Products Laboratory)
• University of Alaska Southeast,
• Ketchikan Gateway Borough,
• State of Alaska,
• Many industry participants who represent the client for these services.

More Information

Allen Brackley, Alaska Wood Utilization R&D Center (PNW), (907) 747-4308.

Current as of March 2004

USDA Forest Service - Tongass National Forest Accessibility Statement
Last Modified: February 15, 2007