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 Richard Bergman | Richard Bergman, PhDStatistics, Life Cycle Analysis, and Economics ResearchUnit: FPL-4851 Supervisory Research Forest Products Technologist One Gifford Pinchot Drive Madison, WI United States 53726-2398 Phone: 608-231-9477 Fax: 608-231-9508 richard.d.bergman@usda.gov |
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Current Research
Conduct system and scale-up analyses using robust artificial intelligence (AI)-based data analyticsLife-cycle and techno-economic assessment of bio-based productsDeveloping new and updating wood product life-cycle assessment data for creating business-to-business Environmental Product DeclarationsCarbon impacts of wood productsConsequential life-cycle analysis of products produced from biomass thermo-chemical conversion and densificationThe effect of timing of GHG issions on climate change impacts for harvesting, production, use and disposal of building productsDynamic carbon inventory of the life cycle of wood products in conjunction with working forestsLife-cycle primary energy and carbon footprint of recovering wood from buildings for reuse
Research Interest
Life-cycle analysis of wood building materials and bioenergy resources to quantify critical emissions and thus environmental impactsCarbon footprint of wood products including the impact of dynamic GHG fluxesComparison of critical environmental impacts for wood products and their alternatives
Past Research
Heat treatment (sterilization) of wood productsWood energy with a focus on gasificationDrying of wood products
Research Importance
Life-cycle inventories (LCIs) and life-cycle assessments (LCAs) of wood products are critically needed 1) to support LCA calculations and material selection decisions under Green Building codes and standards and 2) to provide data needed for environmental products declarations for wood products and thereby maintain their competitiveness.Methods development that include the effect of timing of greenhouse gas emissions is critical to accurately estimate the climate change impacts of wood products use that have varying emissions over time.LCI and LCA information can aid wood product manufcaturers and users by identifying and modifying unit processes that the highest environmental impacts and thereby reduce emissions.
Education
- University of Wisconsin-Madison, Ph.D. Primary: Wood Science Secondary: Life-cycle analysis , 2012
- University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI, M.S. Primary: Wood Science Secondary: Life-cycle analysis , 2007
- University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI, B.S. Chemical Engineer , 1996
- Northcentral Technical College, WI, A.S. Electromechanical Technology , 1991
Professional Experience
- Climate Change Professional, Association of Climate Change Officers 2018 - Current The Certified Climate Change Professional® (CC-P®) credential is a valuable asset that will distinguish you in the job marketplace and enhance your credibility as a leader in climate preparedness and action initiatives.
- Research Forest Products Technologist, USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, Madiosn, Wisconsin 1999 - Current Focused on evaluating the forest sector role in sustainable management of natural systems. This includes evaluating indicators of sustainability of forest management, estimating and analyzing the role of forests and wood products in mitigating climate change by storing carbon and offsetting missions, evaluating opportunities to use forest biomass in the West to mitigate fire risk, and conducting life cycle analysis of the environmental effects of wood and bioenergy products. The life-cycle analysis area is new and will have its own problem statement when the research work unit (RWU) description is approved. This reflects an increasing emphasis in the RWU of understanding the environmental impacts, particularly carbon emissions and offsets, of wood and paper product products production and use.
Professional Organizations
- American Center on Life-Cycle Assessment, Member LCI Database Committee I present life-cycle research at ahe annual conferences and revieweproceedings papers . (2008 - Current)
- Forest Products Society (FPS), Investment Management Committee Chair I was co-chair of two North American Wood Windows and Doors Symposium to be held April 18-19, 2013 in Minneapolis, MN and one in September 2015 in Madison, WI. In addition, I present research at annual conferences, review manuscripts for the Forest Products Journal (FPJ) related to life-cycle analysis and submit manuscripts from my research to the FPJ for peer-review. (2004 - Current)
- Society of Wood Science and Technology (SWST), Member Member I present research at SWST annual conferences, review manuscripts for the Wood and Fiber Science (W&FS) journal related to life-cycle analysis and submit manuscripts from my work to W&FS journal for peer-review. (2004 - Current)
- ASTM E60 Sustainability Committee, Member E60.01 Buildings and Construction Subcommittee I am a ASTM E60 committee member working on creating standards from the following two work items: 1) Work Item# 23356: Standard Practice for Development of Product Category Rules for Use in Development of Environmental Declarations for Building Products and Systems (FPL Technical Lead) and 2) Work Item #28938: Standard Practice for Life Cycle Assessment of Whole Buildings (2010 - 2018)
- Consortium for Research on Renewable Industrial Materials (CORRIM), Vice-President Of Solid And Engineered Wood Products Vice-president of solid and engineered wood products As part of CORRIM, I am involved with the following: 1) developing life-cycle research proposals in conjunction with other CORRIM members, 2) working on life-cycle research projects with other CORRIM members, and 3) providing guidance on direction of CORRIM's objectives (2009 - 2018)
Awards
- Rural Community Assistance Award, 2005 In the Spirit of Working Together for Rural America
- First National Fire Plan Award, 2004 Innovation in Utilization of Biomass
- USDA Secretary’s Group Award for Enhancing the Capacity of All Rural Residents, Communities, and Bus, 2003 For exceptional dedication and commitment in providing technical and marketing assistance to rural forest-dependent communities and business
Below are the 130 US Forest Service publications sorted by year. You may re-sort the list by: Title, Date Posted, Category, Publication or Year.
| Publication Year: 2020 | |
 Highlight ID: 1675 | Life-Cycle Assessment of
Redwood Lumber Products in the United States This report provides a cradle-to-gate life-cycle assessment (LCA), and update to the environmental impacts associated with redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) lumber production in the United States. ... |
| Publication Year: 2019 | |
 Highlight ID: 1321 | Life Cycle Assessment of Activated Carbon from Woody Biomass Expanding biofuels and bioproducts production using forest biomass as feedstock contributes to not only alternatives to US fossil fuels, but also facilitates forest restoration treatments by providing new markets for management of woody biomass resid ... |
| Publication Year: 2018 | |
 Highlight ID: 1314 | Economic Analysis of Making Solid Biofuels and Biochar from Forest Residues Using Portable Production Systems in the U.S. Higher logistic cost is one of the major bottlenecks to produce renewable power, fuel, or bioproducts from forest residues in large-scale production facilities. Smaller scale and portable production facilities that consume forest residues near to the ... |
 Highlight ID: 1315 | Techno-economic and Environmental Assessments of Storing Woodchips and Pellets for Bioenergy Applications Storage is the critical operation within the biomass supply chain to reduce feedstock supply risks and to manage smooth year-around operations of a biorefinery or a bioenergy plant. Moreover, storage incurs the cost and produces potent greenhouse gas ... |
| Publication Year: 2017 | |
 Highlight ID: 1270 | Environmental building declaration prepared using life cycle assessment An environmental building declaration for the Design Building on the Amherst campus of the University of Massachusetts was prepared from a whole building life cycle assessment on this first wood-concrete composite building using the emerging cross la ... |
 Highlight ID: 1293 | Evaluating near-woods processing of post-harvest forest residues for energy production Forest Service researchers are evaluating the environmental viability of converting post-harvest forest residues into high-quality bioenergy products, such as briquette and torrefied briquette, as viable fossil fuel replacements using near-woods proc ... |
 Highlight ID: 1294 | New bio-based technology uses waste wood to produce high-value activated carbon Forest Service scientists investigated making activated carbon products from renewable woody biomass material such as forest or mill residues for technology potential and environmental benefit with a comparison to commercial coal activated carbon. Th ... |
| Publication Year: 2016 | |
 Highlight ID: 652 | Environmental Evaluation of Converting Post-harvest Forest Residues to Bioenergy Products Forest residues are a low-value byproduct of timber harvest operations that are typically burned or left to rot. Using forest residues as a bioenergy source replacing fossil fuels may decrease fossil-fuel-based greenhouse gass emissions. Accordingly, ... |
 Highlight ID: 650 | New Model for Understanding the Fiber Saturation Point of Wood The fiber saturation point is a key measure of how much water can be held within wood before free water forms in empty spaces within wood structure. Forest Service researchers developed a new model to understand how bound and free water are partition ... |
| Publication Year: 2014 | |
 Highlight ID: 577 | Novel Technology Uses Waste Wood to Make Bioenergy while Sequestering Carbon Wood companies need high-value uses for wood residues. A new technology developed by Forest Service researchers and their partners converts wood residues into high-value products such as biochar while producing bioenergy. The researchers are measurin ... |
| Publication Year: 2013 | |
 Highlight ID: 441 | Redwood Decking is a Good Choice for the Environment Building products produce emissions throughout their lifespan, from harvest and manufacturing to use and final disposal. Using building products with low emissions, including greenhouse gases, will mitigate climate change. From cradle-to-grave, redwo ... |
| Publication Year: 2011 | |
 Highlight ID: 281 | Evaluating the environmental impact of building material recovery and reuse Within the green building and sustainable construction fields, there is a growing movement to recover and reuse building materials in lieu of demolition and landfill disposal. Reuse has several benefits including reducing carbon footprint, conserving ... |
 Highlight ID: 285 | Labeling Wood Products Based on Environmental Impacts - Helping consumers make sustainable choices Environmental product declaration (EPD) is a summary of the environmental impacts associated with producing and using a product or service. An EPD is based on a life cycle assessment (LCA) and can be used to compare products on an equal basis. EPDs a ... |
| Publication Year: 2010 | |
 Highlight ID: 170 | Centennial Edition, Wood Handbook—Wood as an Engineering Material The Wood Handbook—Wood as an Engineering Material serves as a primary reference document for a wide variety of users-from the general public through architects and design engineers who use wood in highly engineered structures. ... |
| Research Projects serving in the role of Principal Investigator | ||
| Project Name | Start Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|
| Evaluate the environmental impacts including carbon mitigation benefits of wood-based product production and use in combination with benefit Total affiliated publications: 67 | 10-01-2012 | 09-30-2019 |
| Title | Date Posted |
|---|---|
 Trees Are Climate Change, Carbon Storage Heroes
Mature trees like this Elm can sequester more than 48 pounds of carbon dioxide in a single year. Photo by USDA Forest Service
J.R.R. Tolkien, author of The Lord of the Rings, once wrote, “I longed to devise a setting in which the trees might really march to war.”
If climate change is a ba... | 07-28-2021 |
 Labeling Wood Products for a Greener World
Seven updated Environmental product declarations (EPDs) for wood products were recently released by the American Wood Council (AWC). Maintaining up-to-date industry-wide, cradle-to-gate EPDs is a joint venture among several organizations including the AWC, the Canadian Wood Council (CWC), Con... | 07-30-2020 |
 Redwood Trees—Building a Sustainable Future
Sunrise in the the Redwoods - By Stephen, Adobe Stock # 322472485
Sequoia sempervirens is an extraordinary tree.
It has been the focus of a recent conservation, sustainability, and life-cycle assessment (LCA) study by Forest Products Laboratory (FPL) researchers Richard Bergman PhD and Kamala... | 05-19-2020 |
 Documenting the Carbon Impact of Laminated Veneer Lumber ProductionResearch Forest Products Technologist Richard D. Bergman continues his good work for the environment with a recent publication, Life-Cycle Inventory Analysis of Laminated Veneer Lumber Production in the United States... | 06-02-2015 |
 Updating Building Design Software to Quantify Environmental ImpactsWith continuously growing interest in green building, it is important for building designers to consider the environmental impacts of their designs. Unfortunately, no building design software currently offers a way to quantify those impacts for building structures with wood... | 02-18-2015 |
 Heat Treatment of Firewood for Emerald Ash Borer:The emerald ash borer—most of us have heard of this exotic species that is killing so many of our beloved ash trees. The Forest Service and others are working hard to stop its spread and the recent article, Heat Treatment of Firewood for Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire): Case Stud... | 11-26-2014 |
 Updating of U.S. Wood Product Life-Cycle Assessment DataThe FPL publication of the month is Updating of U.S. Wood Product Life-Cycle Assessment Data for Environmental Product Declarations by Richard Bergman... | 09-18-2014 |
 Life-Cycle Analysis of Redwood DeckingForest Products Laboratory (FPL) scientist Rick Bergman recently led a life-cycle assessment study of redwood decking in the United States. In cooperation with the Consortium for Research on Renewable Industrial Materials (CORRIM), the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of... | 01-21-2014 |