at Forest Products Laboratory
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Forest Products Laboratory
One Gifford Pinchot Drive
Madison, WI 53726
Phone: (608) 231-9200
Fax: (608) 231-9592
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Putting Technology to Use

Similar to state Extension services provided by many universities, the FPL's Technology Marketing Unit (TMU) provides a broad scope of expertise in wood products utilization, marketing, technology transfer, and technical assistance. The TMU is part of the U.S. Forest Service's State & Private Forestry and collaborates with many different partners, particularly the Forest Service's Research & Development staff and state forestry agencies.

In promoting the efficient, sustainable use of wood, the TMU assists private businesses, local governments, and rural communities by transferring wood-based technologies developed by the FPL, other Forest Service research stations, universities, and other Federal laboratories. The TMU supports the national and international mission of the Forest Service in forest products utilization by ensuring ready adoption of forest-based material technologies to many small, rural forest product businesses. The breadth of TMU's work includes forest products conservation, processing, manufacturing efficiency, marketing, recycling, and bioenergy. Technical assistance efforts include publications, technical assistance visits, conferences, workshops, meetings, as well as individual consultations. The TMU manages and awards over $5 million each year in grants dedicated to helping improve the utilization of woody biomass removed from forest restoration projects.

Download the March 26, 2012 presentation given by Larry Felix, Institute Scientist, Gas Technology Institute on the Hydrothermal Carbonization for the Production of Energy-Dense Biochar


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fpl "The fun thing about working for the TMU is variety," says TMU Program Manager Sue LeVan-Green. "No day is ever the same. We work with a wide range of customers, most of them rural small business owners or entrepreneurs, and their issues are all very different. Many times they don't know who else to turn to for assistance." Through a strong customer-service orientation, the TMU successfully promotes rural, sustainable, forest based businesses, by focusing on problem solving, facilitation, and networking.

fpl FPL Technology Marketing Unit clients and partners typically include:

  • National Forest System
  • State Foresters and other Federal agencies
  • Forest-based businesses
  • Rural communities
  • Landowners
  • Tribal nations
  • Conservation groups
  • Rural and urban economic development councils

 

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