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Alaska Wood Products Research

Issue

Prior to the 21st century, the major market for Alaska forest products was Pacific Rim countries, although some material shipped to the Lower 48 states. While the market in the Pacific Rim countries has greatly declined in the last 10 years, the domestic market for lumber from high-grade logs remains strong. With the demise of the pulp mills in Alaska, and reduced pulp production in the Pacific Northwest states and western Canada, there are also reduced markets for wood chips, which are produced from low-grade logs and sawmill residues.

Several partners are looking at the technical and financial problems relating to Alaska’s forest-based industries. They include: the Alaska Wood Utilization Center, the Juneau Economic Development Council, the Ketchikan Wood Technology Center, the University of Alaska Fairbanks-Sitka Forest Products Program, and several universities outside of Alaska.

Background

Given local demand for lumber products, the emphasis on developing markets within the state has been a goal of the Alaska Wood Utilization Center, a substation of the Forest Service’s Pacific Northwest Research Station. A 1988 marketing study showed an annual lumber market in Alaska of approximately 100 million board feet. That demand is currently met mostly by importing lumber from Canada and the Lower 48.

A second market in Alaska consists of an estimated 90 million square feet (3/8” basis) of engineered wood products, along with 40,000 short tons of other manufactured wood products. All of these products are currently imported to Alaska.

A third market in Alaska requires preservative treated wood. Alaska annually imports approximately 10 million board feet of treated wood for docks, wharfs, piling, decks, posts, lumber, and timbers. The state also imports an additional 10 million board feet of railroad ties.

Results

In April 2005, the American Lumber Standards Committee approved new strength values for Alaska softwoods species that were developed at the Ketchikan Wood Technology Center. Funds to support this research were supplied by the University of Alaska Fairbanks-Sitka Forest Products Program, the Alaska Wood Utilization Center, and special grants from Congress. Simultaneously, the American Lumber Standards Committee approved grade stamps for Alaska spruce, hemlock and yellow cedar lumber. The use of these grade stamps allows Alaska manufactures to produce a branded lumber product that is “Made in Alaska.”

Current Situation

The Alaska Wood Utilization Center continues to support development of new strength values and technical information about lumber and engineered products at the Ketchikan Wood Technology Center. In 2005 and 2006, funds from the utilization center supported projects to demonstrate and validate use of Alaska yellow cedar and Alaska spruce lumber in glued laminated beams (glulams).

In 2006, personnel at the utilization center prepared an update of the Pacific Northwest Research Station publication that projects the demand for timber from the Tongass National Forests and other forest lands in Southeast Alaska.

During the same period, scientists at the utilization center evaluated the use of forest biomass for co-firing with coal in the Fairbanks area. The co-firing effort would provide a use for material removed from fire breaks to protect buildings in areas susceptible to forest fire.

A major effort of the utilization center is to develop workable marketing strategies for the state’s forest products industries. Forest products firms list marketing as a major need. To meet this need, the utilization center added a marketing specialist in 2002 and an economist in 2004.

The utilization center presents marketing workshops for forest products producers on an annual basis. During the past three years, workshops have been presented in Ketchikan, Craig, Fairbanks, Anchorage, and Palmer. The utilization center also sponsored the Linking Healthy Forest and Communities conference in October 2003 that was well attended by the Alaska wood products industry. Additionally, booths have been placed in several regional home shows to research consumer preference of wood products and their opinions of local vs. imported products.

More Information

Allen M. Brackley, Team Leader, Wood Utilization Research and Development Center, (907) 747-4308.

Current as of June 2006