Soil physical and chemical properties play important roles in mass loss during soil–block tests but the relationship between soil properties and the decay caused by brown-rot and white-rot fungi remains unclear. The objective of this study was to investigate the soil effects on the decay resistance of pine (Pinus spp.) and poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera L.) blocks. The properties of soil from nine different sources (six from Idaho, one from Mississippi, one from Wisconsin, and one from Oregon) were characterized for soil texture, sieved bulk density, water-holding capacity, pH, organic matter, and carbon and nitrogen concentrations. The moisture content and mass loss of decayed wood samples after 8 weeks of fungal exposure were measured. At the end of the study, block moisture ranged from 30 to 200 percent and mass loss ranged from 20 to 60 percent. Despite using a range of soils, there were no direct correlations between soil properties and wood-block moisture content or mass loss. Moreover, among all the soil properties examined, no significant effect of a single soil property on wood-block moisture content and mass loss was measured. Instead, the combined effects of soil physical and chemical properties may interact to govern the decay of wood blocks in the laboratory soil–block test.Abstract
Wood products are seen globally as an important solution to substitute nonrenewable materials in the construction sector to enhance the life cycle sustainability of buildings. Globally, the most prominent opportunities for sustainability change in housing production lie in multistory residential buildings, which are built mainly of concrete, steel, and bricks. The possibilities of achieving multiple benefits from the use of wood in multistory residential buildings have gained interest among scholars, especially in the 2000s. However, the research has been dominated by views of production (especially construction processes), while scientific knowledge of consumption (especially the occupational phase of buildings) remains very limited. Information about how consumers with differing views of sustainable consumption evaluate the quality of wooden building materials particularly is scarce. This study aimed to investigate consumer perceptions of wooden building product quality and examine how the perceptions connect with consumers' consciousness for sustainable consumption (CSC). The research data were gathered in 2018 by a postal survey sent to 1,000 people living in Finland (response rate 25.6%) and analyzed with exploratory factor analysis and the Mann-Whitney U test. According to the results, respondents' views of wooden building product quality indicators can be grouped into three factors: technical advantages, environmental sustainability of materials, and social benefits at home. The strength of CSC was found to be linked with respondents' views of wooden building product quality. The results of consumers' CSC views help actors involved in the wood and construction industries better meet consumer expectations both for different aspects of sustainability and for lifestyles.Abstract
As the ban on methyl bromide widens, the need for an effective phytosanitary fumigant alternative grows. Currently available alternatives, phosphine and sulfuryl fluoride, lack efficacy against the pinewood nematode. Ethanedinitrile is a highly efficacious fumigant with chemical properties similar to methyl bromide. Ethanedinitrile was tested against pinewood nematodes in a large-scale field setting with southern yellow pine wood chips at dose rates of 75 and 120 g/m3 for 24 hours. All treatments resulted in complete control of pinewood nematodes whereas a nontreated control confirmed the presence of live nematodes. These preliminary results confirm the efficacy of ethanedinitrile against pinewood nematodes in pine wood chips under field conditions.Abstract
The effect of thermomechanical densification treatment on the abrasion resistance of five hardwood species were investigated in this study. The species tested include ash (Fraxinus sp.), hickory (Carya sp.), red oak (Quercus sp.), sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua), and white oak (Quercus sp.). The abrasion test was performed according to the American Society of Testing and Materials standards. Ten specimens from each species were initially tested for abrasion resistance, and those specimens were then put through a thermomechanical densification process. The densification process consisted of bringing the heated platen up to a temperature of 176°C (350°F) on one surface and pressing the specimens at 6.9 MPa (1,000 Psi) for a period of 5 minutes. The densified specimens were then subject to the same abrasion testing procedure. All data were statistically analyzed by two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with the procedure of general linear mixed models. The results of this study indicated that densified hickory had the highest abrasion resistance among the five hardwood species tested.Abstract
Wooden furniture is the main product of the forest products trade, and activities associated with its international trade currently face many risks, representing a degree of uncertainty in the wooden furniture export trade. To explore the impact of country risk on China's wooden furniture export trade, panel data from 1995 to 2020 are used as a basis for this study, in which the impact of the country risk of trading partners on China's wooden furniture export trade is empirically analyzed using a stochastic frontier gravity model. The research shows that the economic scale and population scale of the trading partners and China, forest resource endowment, and exchange rate fluctuation all have a significant impact on the export trade of Chinese wooden furniture. The economic and financial risks of trading partners have a notable negative influence on China's wooden furniture export trade, but political risk has a positive effect. The export efficiency of China's wooden furniture is at a moderate level, and there is a huge imbalance between different trading partners.Abstract
The bio-based materials industry, which includes bio-based fuels, materials, and chemicals, is expanding and providing new career opportunities that are not well known by today's entering college students. In addition, the related undergraduate degree programs are neither gender nor ethnically representative of current U.S. demographics. A program model framework called Inside Trees was developed and tested in this project for an in-person summer camp and remote learning modules to help raise awareness and form a pipeline between high school students and future enrollment in higher-educational degree programs. To gain a better understanding of logistics, a prototype summer camp was delivered to 12 students, 10 of whom were women, 3 were first-generation college students, 1 was African American, and 1 was Hispanic/Latino. Three students who attended the Inside Trees summer camp enrolled at Virginia Tech University the following year. Content and activities from the summer camp were later converted into digital learning modules that could be used with a summer camp or as separate teaching/learning units. Review of supporting literature and informal student feedback indicates that a summer camp program that includes experiential learning, a positive experience in nature, support through the higher-educational academic program, multiple disciplines, and career opportunities shows good potential to be an effective pipeline to increase diversity in the bio-based industry. It is suggested that the Inside Trees model curriculum and framework could be adapted by other universities or organizations for achievement of institution-specific goals toward improved awareness and enrollment of underrepresented students.Abstract
In 1990, the major destinations for hardwood logs exported by the United Sates were Europe, Canada, and three East Asian markets: Japan, Taiwan, and Korea. From 1990 to 2005, the volume of hardwood logs exported to Canada increased by 402 percent. During this period, another East Asian log market developed, consisting of China, Hong Kong, and Vietnam (CHV). While increased Canadian exports were an apparent result of increased U.S. bilateral trade with Canada, the development of the CHV market was associated with increased U.S. furniture imports from that region. The volume of U.S. log exports worldwide peaked in 2005, and the value of log exports peaked in 2007. Exports to all regions declined in 2009. After 2009, exports to CHV increased and surpassed shipments to Canada in 2014. In the past decade, much of the increase in exports to CHV appears to be the result of demand within China. Recently, these exports have been affected by trade disputes and the COVID-19 pandemic. For most of the study period, the dominant log export species were white oak, red oak, maple, or cherry in terms of value. Since 2018, walnut has become the most important log export species (value basis) as a result of increased shipments to China.Abstract
Phytosanitary heat treatments of Ceratocystis lukuohia and Ceratocystis huliohia-colonized Metrosideros polymorpha wood were evaluated using kilns. Wood poles subjected to a 22- to 34-day dehumidification kiln schedule with a heat treatment to 60°C to the poles' core. In vacuum kiln trials, logs were heated to 56°C at 70 percent log radius depth and the temperature maintained for 30 minutes. Neither Ceratocystis species was isolated from heat-treated wood using carrot baiting, whereas both fungi were isolated from control logs held at ambient temperature. Results of this study offer kiln-heating as a way to eradicate Ceratocystis fungi from M. polymorpha wood.Abstract
The goal of this research was to develop a simple laboratory test for examining heat delamination in cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels. The laboratory test was designed to mimic the fire tests described in Annex B of the ANSI/APA PRG-320 standard, which is required for CLT product qualification in North America. The Annex B test requires a full-sized room (2.4 by 4.9 by 2.7 m) to be constructed and exposed to a design fire scenario. In this article, we scaled the mechanical and fire loads so that they could be conducted in an intermediate-scale furnace with 1.1 m2 of exposed CLT panels. The mechanical loads were scaled to match the bending moment prescribed in the standard. The fire loads were scaled by matching the temperature profiles when an inert furnace lid was run and then matching the gas flow on all subsequent tests. Panels made from adhesives that passed the Annex B test passed the laboratory-scale test; panels that failed the Annex B test failed the laboratory test with the exception of one replicate. Correlations were found not only for CLT but also for a veneer-based mass timber panel. Measured temperature profiles within the furnace were similar to those measured near the compartment ceiling in the Annex B test. The scaled-down test in this article can be used to screen which adhesives are likely to pass the full-scale Annex B test.Abstract