Forest products

Mass Timber Proposed in Milwaukee Building

Posted on by Kirsten Held

A Wisconsin-based real estate development firm, New Land Enterprises, plans to construct a seven-story mass timber office building on a vacant site in downtown Milwaukee. The building was designed by Korb + Associates Architects and would be the tallest of such structures in Wisconsin.

What is mass timber?
Mass timber is a category of structural framing styles typically characterized by the use of large, solid wood panels for wall, floor, and roof construction. Examples include: glued-laminated timber (glulam), nail-laminated timber (NLT), cross-laminated timber (CLT), and dowel-laminated timber (DLT).

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Offering a railroad tie manufacturing workshop

Posted on by Kirsten Held

Are you considering sawing railroad ties but don’t know where to start? Do you wish to gain a better understanding of log selection and manufacturing as it relates to tie grades and markets? The Wisconsin DNR, in partnership with the Wisconsin Wood Marketing Team, will host a one-day workshop on railroad tie manufacturing on September 18, 2018.

This course will cover the basics of tie grades, defect limitations, log selection and overall feasibility of sawing ties. The workshop will conclude with a hands-on grading exercise and discussion.

Head sawyers, lumber inspectors, mill owners, managers, salespeople, loggers, foresters and others interested in railroad tie manufacturing are encouraged to attend this informative seminar to be held at Northcentral Technical College, Wood Technology Center for Excellence in Antigo, Wisconsin.

Registration will be taken online (see the online registration portal here) or by mail (see the mail-in registration form here).  The registration fee of $20 includes lunch.

Contact Collin Buntrock (608-286-9083, Collin.Buntrock@Wisconsin.gov) for more information.

Wisconsin delegation explores China market

Posted on by Kirsten Held

A delegation of six forestry businesses from Wisconsin, along with representatives from the Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection and Scott Lyon from the Department of Natural Resources, participated in a trade mission to China on March 20-April 4, 2018. The purpose was to explore and expand markets for Wisconsin’s forest products. Continue reading “Wisconsin delegation explores China market” →

Renewable energy flooring makes debut

Posted on by Kirsten Held

This article is reprinted with written permission from the author.

One step closer to market: Renewable energy flooring makes debut in Union South
By Will Cushman, UW-Madison, Environmental Resources Center

As tens of thousands of visitors each day walk across a new flooring installation in UW-Madison’s Union South in fall 2017, they might not realize they’re participating in what could very well represent a leap into the future of renewable energy production.

A research team led by Xudong Wang, a University of Wisconsin-Madison professor of materials science and engineering, in collaboration with the UW-Madison Grainger Institute for Engineering, has installed a high-tech flooring prototype that harvests the energy of footsteps and converts it into electricity.

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Wood mission scheduled for China in March

Posted on by Kirsten Held

The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection will lead a trade mission with Wisconsin forestry businesses to northern China from March 20-30, 2018. The mission will include one-on-one matchmaking meetings with potential buyers and trade partners in Beijing, Tianjin, Qingdao, and will end at Asia’s most comprehensive woodworking and machinery trade show Interzum Guangzhou. In addition, participants will have the opportunity to visit wood product manufacturing locations.

This mission will enable participating Wisconsin forestry businesses to forge relationships with potential Chinese buyers and trading partners, gain market intelligence and first-hand knowledge of the Chinese wood import business practices and environment.

Chinese wood products market is the largest in the world for U.S. wood and wood products. Since 2005, China has become the world’s largest exporter of furniture. In recent years, domestic demand for these wood products have grown and more have stayed in China instead of being exported. According to the American Hardwood Export Council, one in five hardwood lumber boards produced in the U.S. is exported to China. The economic outlook for China remains positive with an expected annual growth in 2018.

Wisconsin forestry product businesses interested in building and expanding trade in China are invited to attend. For more, information please see the trade mission flyer.

By DNR Forest Products Specialist Scott Lyon, Scott.Lyon@Wisconsin.gov, 920-662-5184

Accepting applicants for urban positions

Posted on by Ellen Clark

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry has two Limited Term Employment (LTE) positions open for applications.  One position is an Urban Forest Assessment Outreach Specialist with the Urban Forestry team and the other is an Urban Forest Inventory Specialist with the Forest Products Services team.  Each of these positions is a half-time appointment, and both are stationed out of Central Office in downtown Madison. Continue reading “Accepting applicants for urban positions” →