Building a more competitive, sustainable global wood industry

Brian Brashaw, Andy Martin and Larry Swan provide training and support in Peru’s Amazon region of Ucayali. 

Photo By USDA Forest Service, Kenet Marino

WASHINGTON, D.C. A team of USDA Forest Service specialists recently returned from Peru where they provided technical support to Peru’s Centers for Productive Innovation and Technology Transfer, universities and the private sector on wood structural design, durability, preservation and technological innovation.

During the visit, specialists discussed protocols for preserving softwood: for example, minimizing damage from fungi and insects during transport. They also shared the latest global trends in wood utilization.

Forest Service specialists also met with university students and faculty at La Molina National Agrarian University and the National University of Ucayali to examine the importance of applied research, connecting teaching, research and extension.

The team of experts included Brian Brashaw, assistant director of the Forest Service Wood Innovations Program; Andy Martin, assistant director of the Forest Products Laboratory; Larry Swan, former Forest Service program leader of the Pacific Southwest Region's Wood and Biomass Utilization Program; and Jeffrey Morrell, wood preservation specialist with over 40 years of experience.

Peru’s Centers for Productive Innovation and Technology Transfer provides extension services in research, technology and training to enhance wood product quality and competitiveness and to sustain Peruvian livelihoods and forest preservation.

During the visit, specialists discussed protocols for preserving softwood: for example, minimizing damage from fungi and insects during transport. They also shared the latest global trends in wood utilization.

Forest Service specialists also met with university students and faculty at La Molina National Agrarian University and the National University of Ucayali to examine the importance of applied research, connecting teaching, research and extension.

The team of experts included Brian Brashaw, assistant director of the Forest Service Wood Innovations Program; Andy Martin, assistant director of the Forest Products Laboratory; Larry Swan, former Forest Service program leader of the Pacific Southwest Region's Wood and Biomass Utilization Program; and Jeffrey Morrell, wood preservation specialist with over 40 years of experience.

Peru’s Centers for Productive Innovation and Technology Transfer provides extension services in research, technology and training to enhance wood product quality and competitiveness and to sustain Peruvian livelihoods and forest preservation.

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Larry Adams | Editor

Larry Adams is a Chicago-based writer and editor who writes about how things get done. A former wire service and community newspaper reporter, Larry is an award-winning writer with more than three decades of experience. In addition to writing about woodworking, he has covered science, metrology, metalworking, industrial design, quality control, imaging, Swiss and micromanufacturing . He was previously a Tabbie Award winner for his coverage of nano-based coatings technology for the automotive industry. Larry volunteers for the historic preservation group, the Kalo Foundation/Ianelli Studios, and the science-based group, Chicago Council on Science and Technology (C2ST).