People - US Forest Service Research & Development

Research
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Research
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Research Highlights


*Publication Year: 2019*
Highlight ID: 1323	Development of New Kinetics Models for Water Vapor Sorption in Wood Wood is constantly exchanging water with its environment and these exchanges control nearly all of wood's amazing properties. Research has recently shown that this process is still not understood and ...
Highlight ID: 1332	Going Big with Mass Timber Protection Researchers are leading efforts to better understand mass timber as a next generation building material and provide safe effective protection strategies to ensure public safety and responsible forest ...
Highlight ID: 1324	Method for Estimating Wood Preservative Leaching Pressure-treated wood is widely used for construction projects in sensitive environments. This research project developed a method to estimate biocide leaching from pressure-treated wood exposed to pr ...

*Publication Year: 2018*
Highlight ID: 1302	Examination of Historic National Park System Ship Eureka Researchers collaborated with the National Park Service (NPS) to examine a historic ship preserved at the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. ...
Highlight ID: 1305	Giving Termites "Stomach Aches" Chitosan can be used to upset the microbial imbalance in the termite hindgut, leading to the establishment of three different bacterial pathogens. ...
Highlight ID: 1301	Wood Adhesives at High Temperatures Researchers examined the performance of finger-jointed lumber to understand how it performs in fire. ...

*Publication Year: 2017*
Highlight ID: 1279	Assessing termite impact on cross-laminated timber panels Forest Service and Mississippi State University researchers are in the process of determining the impact of termites found in the Southeastern U.S. on cross-laminated timber (CLT), a mass timber produ ...
Highlight ID: 1278	Eco-friendly biopesticide protects wood from termites by affecting their hindgut symbionts Chitosan kills termites by targeting their hindgut protists rather than the termite itself. ...
Highlight ID: 1298	Effective utilization of naturally durable wood biomass offers an overlooked source of potential wood protectants Forest Service researchers at the Forest Products Laboratory in Madison, Wisc., are evaluating extractives as potential next-generation wood preservatives. This bio-rational approach offers environmen ...
Highlight ID: 1273	Fire performance of CLT buildings Fire tests demonstrate that CLT buildings can be designed to withstand fire. ...
Highlight ID: 1286	Rational approach for discovering new, targeted biocides for wood protection Forest Service researchers used a rational approach based on gene expression studies to identify a novel application of a fungicide for use in copper-based wood preservative systems. ...

*Publication Year: 2015*
Highlight ID: 616	A Knowledge-based Approach for Developing Green Building Solutions Scientists are using gene discovery to accelerate their understanding of copper tolerance in wood decay fungi and create green solutions for wood protection. ...
Highlight ID: 602	Cellulose Nanocrystals Chemically Entrap Biocide in Wood Forest Service scientists evaluated naturally occurring cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) that are reported to have unique chemical properties and impart high strength were evaluated for the potential to i ...
Highlight ID: 608	Comparison of Two Bench-scale Tests Used for Obtaining Heat Release Rate There is a growing demand for material properties to be used as inputs in fire behavior models designed to address building fire safety. This comparative study evaluates using the mass loss calorimete ...
Highlight ID: 604	Effects of Diet on Brood Development in the Carpenter Ant A Forest Service scientist fed carpenter ants an artificial diet, and variations of this diet, with nutrient components removed to examine the effects on brood development. The potential B vitamin and ...
Highlight ID: 603	USFS Termiticide Report for 2014 The most recent efficacy data for termiticides currently on the market were reported as part of the USDA Forest Service Termiticide Testing Program. This report allows consumers and applicators natio ...

*Publication Year: 2012*
Highlight ID: 7	Natural Wood Durability Studied to Estimate Wood's Performance Naturally occurring chemicals in some wood species make them more durable against deterioration ...
Highlight ID: 10	New Guide Advises Treatments and Technologies To Protect Historic Wooden Bridges Forest Service and university researchers collaborate to evaluate methods of protecting wooden bridges from fire and biodegradation. ...
Highlight ID: 24	Scientists Find the Achilles' Heel of Wood Fungi Tolerance to Preservatives Inhibiting the enzymatic pathway in copper tolerant brown rot fungi can block its tolerance of commercial wood preservatives ...
Highlight ID: 2	Wood Can Last for Centuries if Protected From Moisture Report dispels myths about wood construction through proper information that educates and empowers the public ...
Highlight ID: 6	Wood-Plastic Composites Are More Desirable With Fire Retardant Treatments Wood-plastic composites treated with fire retardants addresses fire concerns in the wildland-urban interface ...

*Publication Year: 2011*
Highlight ID: 302	Colony collapse of Eastern subterranean termites Termite colonies in laboratory and field tests were rapidly eliminated using a trap, treat and release method with commercial termite toxicants and a patented termite bait developed at the Forest Prod ...
Highlight ID: 291	Durable wood product evaluations In an effort to reduce the amount of time required to obtain meaningful durability data for wood products, it has become widely accepted to use smaller specimens in field tests. Smaller specimens gene ...

*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 ...
Highlight ID: 161	Evaluation of Various Fire Retardants for Use in Wood Flour/Polyethylene Composites Wood-plastic composites (WPCs) represent a class of materials increasingly used in residential construction and furniture-making. The fire performance of WPCs is not well understood, however, and ther ...
Highlight ID: 186	Identification of economically significant death-watch and spider beetles in Wisconsin Two widely distributed beetle families, the death-watch (Anobiidae) and spider beetles (Ptinidae), include a number of economically significant species which cause damage to wooden materials and/or st ...
Highlight ID: 156	Improving Accelerated Testing of Durable Wood Products Durable wood products such as posts, poles and timbers are expected to resist decay and termite attack for several decades. Testing the durability of new types of wood products is challenging because ...
Highlight ID: 152	Natural fumigants protect wood against termites Forest Products Laboratory researchers discovered that essential oils from some common plants such as dill, rosemary and lemongrass can be used as fumigants to kill termites. ...
Highlight ID: 157	Public Access to Actual Data Files for Cone Calorimeter Tests of Wood Products The cone calorimeter test is a fire test used internationally for research and development of new fire retardants and to provide input data to models for predicting the reaction of building materials ...
Highlight ID: 171	Recalculating the Decay Hazard Index Climate index values for estimating decay hazard to wood exposed outdoors above ground, commonly known as Scheffer index values, were calculated for 280 locations in the United States (270 locations i ...
Highlight ID: 190	Sol-gel technology to enhance performance properties of wood or wood fiber With support from industry partners, FPL researchers are developing new sol-gel technologies to enhance performance properties of wood or wood fiber. Sol-gel technologies are wet-chemical techniques t ...
Highlight ID: 155	Termite Eradication: A search for the Holy Grail Regarding Wisconsin termines, laboratory tests were initiated to evaluate transfer of a number of different dusting compounds to un-dusted colony mates with varied results. ...

Team Members

Name	Job Title	Phone
Arango, Rachel view profile »	Research Entomologist	608-231-9573
Bell, Craig view profile »	Biological Science Technician	662-338-3109
Bishell, Amy B. view profile »	Biological Science Technician	608-231-9254
Boyd, Blossie view profile »	Biological Science Technician	662-325-2669
Ciaramitaro, Tina view profile »	Biological Sciences Tech.	662-338-3106
Cooper, Shawn view profile »	Biological Science Tech	662-338-3100
Fye, Donald view profile »	Biological Science Technician	662-338-3138
Halverson, Steven view profile »	Physical Science Technician	608-231-9252
Johnson, Gregory view profile »	Administrative Support Assistant	662-338-3106
Kirker, Grant T. view profile »	Research Forest Products Technologist	608-231-9256
Lebow, Stan view profile »	Research Forest Products Technologist
Mankowski, Mark , E. view profile »	Research Entomologist	662-338-3124
Ohno, Katie M. view profile »	Research Biologist	608-231-9367
Shelton, Thomas Guy view profile »	Supervisory Research Entomologist	662-338-3108
Tang, Juliet D. view profile »	Research Forest Products Technologist	662-338-3107
Yang, Vina view profile »	Microbiologist	608-231-9265

Products (Publications & Patents)

Publication Year	Title	Date Posted
Below are the 50 most recent products author or co-authored by researchers of this unit that have been posted, sorted by publication year and title. To access the complete repository of FPL products, click here.
2021	Biodeterioration of wood	03/25/21

2021	Double duty: Boron rods as a simple, low capital alternative for dual treatment of ties and timbers	03/17/21

2021	Durability of enhanced domestic hardwoods for U.S. Army tactical trailer deckings	03/19/21

2021	Effects of loblolly pine extract, primary and quaternary alkyl ammonium chlorides combined with burgundy oil from eastern red cedar against subterranean termites and wood-decay fungi	03/12/21

2021	Oxidation states of iron and manganese in lignocellulose altered by the brown rot fungus Gloeophyllum trabeum measured in-situ using X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy (XANES)	03/19/21

2021	Wood preservatives	03/25/21

2020	A study of the gut bacterial community of Reticulitermes virginicus exposed to chitosan treatment	11/06/20

2020	Analysis of a wide range of commercial exterior wood coatings	01/06/21

2020	Bio-acoustic termite control	01/08/21

2020	Biological resistance of nanoclay-treated plastic composites with different bamboo contents to three types of fungi	07/29/20

2020	Bonding performance of adhesive systems for cross-laminated timber treated with micronized copper azole type C (MCA-C)	11/05/19

2020	Defensive symbioses in social insects can inform human health and agriculture	03/06/20

2020	Determining the role of siderophores from brown-rot fungi in copper tolerance	08/11/20

2020	Effect of burgundy solid extracted from Eastern Red Cedar heartwood on subterranean termites and Wood-decay fungi	03/12/21

2020	Effect of exterior wood coatings on the durability of cross-laminated timber against mold and decay fungi	10/02/20

2020	Effects of wood moisture content and the level of acetylation on brown rot decay	03/12/20

2020	Efficacy of alternative copper-based preservatives in protecting decking from biodegradation	08/13/20

2020	Evaluation of a Soil Termiticide or Borate Non-Pressure Treatments for Protecting Douglas-Fir CLT in a Field Test: Two Years Results	03/12/21

2020	Gene Expression Analysis of Three Putative Copper-Transporting ATPases in Copper-Tolerant Fibroporia radiculosa	03/11/21

2020	New records and antennal variation of the elusive Ctenobium antennatum Leconte (Coleoptera: Ptinidae) from Massachusetts and Wisconsin, USA	07/21/20

2020	PAST: The Pathway Association Studies Tool to Infer Biological Meaning from GWAS Datasets	03/16/20

2020	Providing scalable pressure treatment options for mass timber using double vacuum techniques	01/08/21

2020	Relationship between attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy of western juniper and natural resistance to fungal and termite attack	03/06/20

2020	Role of leaf litter in above-ground wood decay	07/10/20

2020	Salt Damage in Wood: Controlled Laboratory Exposures and Mechanical Property Measurements	03/12/20

2020	Statistical process control and related methods for improvement of the treated-wood industries	06/03/20

2020	Synergistic effect of heartwood extracts in combination with linseed oil as wood preservatives against subterranean termite Heterotermes indicola (Blattodea: Rhinotermitidae)	03/06/20

2020	Use of ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi for mycoremediation of treated wood wastes	07/13/20

2020	Using boron rods as a source for dual treatment	08/03/20

2020	Variation in mold susceptibility among hardwood species under laboratory conditions	01/25/21

2020	Wood color changes and termiticidal properties of teak heartwood extract used as a wood preservative	03/06/20

2019	Assessing waterborne pressure treatment suitability for glued laminated beams	11/05/19

2019	Copper distribution and oxidation states near corroded fasteners in treated wood	04/12/19

2019	Corrosiveness of Thermally Modified Wood	03/16/20

2019	Evaluation of flood damage on treated CLT wall panels	12/05/19

2019	Ex-situ performance of extracts from naturally durable heartwood species and their potential as wood preservatives	09/26/19

2019	Field durability of treated and untreated CLT wall envelope systems	12/05/19

2019	Guidelines for the selection and use of pressure-treated wood	03/16/20

2019	Hurricane Michael ravages Florida test site	09/22/20

2019	Improving exterior performance of thermally modified timber (TMT)	02/26/19

2019	Laboratory immersion method for accelerated prediction of preservative leaching from pressure-treated wood exposed to precipitation	05/03/19

2019	Leveraging GWAS data to identify metabolic pathways and networks involved in maize lipid biosynthesis	05/03/19

2019	Ongoing termite studies on cross laminated timber (CLT) panels	03/06/20

2019	Properties of composite wood panels fabricated from Eastern redcedar employing various bio-based green adhesives	09/05/19

2019	Research needs assessment for the mass timber industry: Proceedings of the 2nd North American mass timber research needs workshop	09/26/19

2019	Role of tyloses in the natural durability of a white oak species	12/16/19

2019	SPC handbook for the treated wood industries	09/26/19

2019	The life and work of Bruce Johnson at the Forest Products Laboratory and in the American Wood Protection Association	09/22/20

2019	The use of boron rods as a boron source for dual treated timber	12/09/19

2019	Toxicity potential of heartwood extractives from two mulberry species against Heterotermes indicola	05/29/19

2019	Trap design, colors, and lures for emerald ash borer detection	07/13/20

2019	Using metagenomics to quantify the bacterial diversity in field stakes treated with wood preservative	09/04/20

2019	Utility of image software in quantification of termite damage on cross-laminated timber (CLT)	12/20/19

2018	A protocol for implementing statistical process control in the treated wood industry	05/24/19

2018	Above and in-ground performance of naturally-durable woods in Wisconsin	12/20/19

2018	Antioxidant effects of four heartwood extractives on midgut enzyme activity in Heterotermes indicola (Blattodea: Rhinotermitidae)	06/06/18

2018	Assessment of fastener corrosion and salt damage in the bilge of the Eureka	06/06/18

2018	Biogeochemical hotspots around bark-beetle killed trees	10/02/18

2018	Carpenter ant-microbe interactions	08/16/19

2018	Colemanite: a fire retardant candidate for wood plastic composites	04/17/18

2018	Durability of cross laminated timber against termite damage	03/01/19

2018	Durability of mass timber structures: a review of the biological risks	08/31/18

2018	Dysbiosis: a potential novel strategy for control of subterranean termites	04/05/19

2018	Effect of chitosan on diversity and number of protists in subterranean termites	04/05/19

2018	Effects of Teak, Tectona grandis Linn, heartwood extractives against Heterotermes indicola (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae)	07/25/18

2018	Effects of White Mulberry (Morus alba) Heartwood Extract Against Reticulitermes flavipes (Blattodea: Rhinotermitidae)	07/24/18

2018	Evaluation of cross-laminated timber resistance to termite attack	04/02/19

2018	Fungal–copper interactions in wood examined with large field of view synchrotron-based X-ray fluorescence microscopy	07/26/18

2018	Gene expression analysis of wood decay fungus Fibroporia Radiculosa grown In ACQ-treated wood	06/06/18

2018	genome-wide association and metabolic pathway analysis of corn earworm resistance in maize	04/09/18

2018	Guidelines to restoring structural integrity of covered bridge members	02/14/18

2018	Hexadecyl ammonium chloride amylose inclusion complex to emulsify cedarwood oil and treat wood against termites and wood-decay fungi	04/03/18

2018	Incising and site effects on long-term durability of pressure-treated refractory wood species	04/04/19

2018	Increasing durability of mass timber products in interior applications	05/22/18

2018	Indirect effects of bark beetle-generated dead wood on biogeochemical and decomposition processes in a pine forest	04/04/19

2018	Industry-prioritized research, technology transfer, and education needs and opportunities in residential construction	07/27/18

2018	Internal moisture content and temperature of standardized aboveground wood durability test specimens	08/14/18

2018	Monitoring the cell wall characteristics of degraded beech wood by white-rot fungi: Anatomical, chemical, and photochemical study	09/28/20

2018	Northeastern United States species treated with copper-based preservatives: Durability in mississippi stake tests	09/27/18

2018	Ongoing field evaluation of Douglas-fir cross-laminated timber in a ground proximity protected test in Mississippi	04/04/19

2018	Protecting log homes from decay and insects	07/27/18

2018	Remote detection of termite activity in wooden bridge structures	08/31/18

2018	Survey of candidate genes for maize resistance to infection by Aspergillus flavus and/or aflatoxin contamination	05/30/18

2018	Termiticidal activity of chitosan against the subterranean termites Reticulitermes flavipes and Reticulitermes virginicus	06/06/18

2018	USDA FS report: 80 years of termiticide testing	07/26/18

2018	Wood decay fungi	03/10/20

2017	Accelerated aging of preservative-treated structural plywood	09/05/17

2017	Activity of two strobilurin fungicides against three species of decay fungi in agar plate tests	08/23/17

2017	Amplicon-Based Sequencing of Soil Fungi from Wood Preservative Test Sites	11/30/17

2017	Amplicon-based sequencing of soil fungi from wood preservative test sites	12/21/17

2017	Analysis of hindgut bacterial phyla frequency and diversity in subterranean termites exposed to chitosan-treated wood	08/23/17

2017	AWPA biodeterioration hazard map revisited	02/13/18

2017	Characterization of the maize lipoxygenase gene family in relation to aflatoxin accumulation resistance	08/25/17

2017	Comparison of performance criteria for evaluating stake test data	02/13/18

2017	Comparison of performance of wood extractives as preservatives in field tests against termites and decay in the USA and Pakistan	01/24/18

2017	Conifer species influence Heterobasidion irregulare sporulation on stem discs exposed to natural inoculum and root wood decay in soil-block tests	08/03/20

2017	Defeating copper tolerance: an example of how “omics” research can accelerate discovery of new wood protection compounds	09/21/17

2017	Diversity of Hindgut Bacterial Population in Subterranean Termite, Reticulitermes flavipes	09/21/17

2017	Effect of landfill burial on condition of wood: preliminary tests	08/11/20

2017	Effect of processing conditions on retention variability in treated lumber	06/15/17

Research Projects

Project Number	Title	Project Dates
Below are 17 research projects associated with this research unit.
FPL-4723-3-02	A diverse range of species and small-diameter materials for treated wood applications	11-17-2003 - 11-17-2008

FPL-4723-2-02	Environmental impact of treated forest products needs to be reduced	11-17-2003 - 11-17-2008

FPL-4723-1-01	Fire safety engineering of forest products in a performance-based building code environment	09-20-2002 - 09-20-2007

FPL-4723-2-01	Fire safety of engineered wood products in structural applications	09-20-2002 - 09-20-2007

FPL-4723-1-02	Improved methods of evaluation and analysis for prediction of long term performance of durable forest products	11-17-2003 - 11-17-2008

FPL-4723-3A	Improved wood treatments and accelerated performance methods for treated wood products	01-23-2015 - 01-22-2020

FPL-4723-3B	Improved wood treatments that impart durability to treated wood products without adversely impacting the environment	10-01-2012 - 09-30-2017

FPL-4723-2	Improving fire safety of forest products and wood-based structures to address our changing environmental and society needs for personal safety a	07-23-2007 - 07-23-2012

FPL-4723-2B	Improving survivability and fire safety of forest products and wood-based structures while reducing the hazardous fuel load	10-01-2012 - 09-30-2017

FPL-4723-4	New sharply targeted inhibitors are needed to protect wood products in service and prevent economic and resource losses that result from biodeter	07-23-2007 - 07-23-2012

FPL-4723-1B	Performance-Based Design of Residential and Nonresidential Wood Buildings	10-01-2012 - 09-30-2017

FPL-4723-1	Proper design and operation of residential and nonresidential buildings can extend the service life of the building and wood products in th	07-23-2007 - 07-23-2012

FPL-4723-1A	Sharply targeted inhibitors to protect wood products in service and prevent economic and resource losses that result from biodeterioration	01-23-2015 - 01-22-2020

FPL-4723-4B	Sharply Targeted Inhibitors to Protect Wood Products in Service and Prevent Economic and Resource Losses that Result from Biodeterioration	10-01-2012 - 09-30-2017

FPL-4723-3-01	Survivability of wood structures in the wildland urban interface	09-20-2002 - 09-20-2007

FPL-4723-2A	Termites play dual roles as wood decomposers both benefiting forest health and causing destruction of in-service wood	01-23-2015 - 01-22-2020

FPL-4723-3	There is a need for improved wood treatments that impart durability to wood products without adversely impacting the environment	07-23-2007 - 07-23-2012

Partnerships

Partnership Aiming for Faster Research Results

One major hurdle to durability research is the amount of time it takes to obtain results; studying materials in real-life, or in-service, scenarios can take years. To address this issue in one area of durability research, researchers at FPL and the University of Wisconsin are working together to develop methods that correlate in-service performance of metal fasteners and controlled corrosion experiments in wood. One step in developing this correlation is to understand how uncertainties in measurements affect the calculated corrosion rate in a controlled environment. The next step will be to compare metals immersed in a solution of preservative chemicals with corrosion of metals in contact with treated wood. The goal of this collaborative effort is to develop a qualitative test that mimics the corrosion behavior of metals in contact with treated wood without using actual wood specimens. Such a test would be of great value in rapidly evaluating the corrosiveness of new wood preservatives.

Lab Notes - FPL's online news feed

Below are the 10 most recent Lab Notes blog postings pertaining to this research unit.

Title	Date Posted
FPL Researcher Featured in Engineering News-Record A rendering of the 25-story Ascent building currently under construction in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Photo credit: Korb + Associates Laura Hasburgh Building and Fire Sciences Materials Research Engineer Engineering News-Record recently featured ...	12-31-2020
FPL Researcher Featured on National Public Radio Brian BrashawForest Products Marketing UnitProgram Manager Forest Products Laboratory’s (FPL) Brian Brashaw was featured in an National Public Radio (NPR) segment about the soon-to-be world’s tallest timber building currently under constructi...	12-16-2020
Throwback Thursday: The FPL Rotting Pit Thanks to Grant Kirker for writing this fascinating look back into Forest Products Laboratory (FPL) history and science. Kirker is a Research Forest Products Technologist at FPL in the Durability and Wood Protection Research unit. Throughout ...	09-18-2020
A Salty Tale of Wood Damage Research and Discovery A tenacious fungus, a conspiracy theory, a historic ship, a unique gift from Princeton University, and two Forest Products Laboratory (FPL) researchers, Grant Kirker and Samuel Zelinka, collaborating with researchers from Germany and Canada all conv...	06-26-2020
Searching for Natural Resistance through Infrared Spectroscopy Closeup view of Western Junipier - By Syntheticmessiah - stock.adobe.com Durability is one of the most important building qualities needed for timber products. It is measured by how well wood species can resist fungal decay or insect damage. ...	05-29-2020
Adhering to a New Standard of Excellence in Innovative Building Materials CLT Construction - By Darryl Byle, stock.adobe.com It’s a sticky problem that Forest Products Laboratory (FPL) researcher Juliet Tang in collaboration with faculty member Hyungsuk Lim and graduate students from the Department of Sustainable Bio...	05-19-2020
110 Years of FPL: Early Fire Retardant Treatments In celebration of 110 years of research at the Forest Products Laboratory (FPL), we are revisiting blog posts that detail some of our most interesting historic people, places, and projects. Enjoy! In the early days of developing fire-retardant tr...	05-13-2020
International Collaboration and Competitive Rivalry Push FPL Scientists to Excellence There was nothing earth-shattering found—though some hypotheses were discarded and new research launching points were identified. And that’s extremely important because science, research and development are not linear. Sometimes there isn’t a ...	05-04-2020
Salvaging an American Icon with Ground-Penetrating Radar Two Route 66 signs on the road at California Mojave desert highway – By AR Pictures Imagine being able to look straight into a wood beam and know its structural integrity. It’s almost like a super power, except its really just amazing scie...	04-14-2020
There’s a Superhero Beneath Your Feet Imagine a trail dipping below a steep valley edge surrounded by lush, verdant greens. A brook chatters below and in its soft watery tones invites hikers to a moment of relaxation and communion. The breeze is soft and sweet as the leaf canopy dan...	03-25-2020