Delton Alderman

Title: Research Forest Products Technologist
Unit: Ecological and Economic Sustainability of the Appalachian Forest in an Era of Globalization
Previous Unit: Efficient Use of the Northern Forest Resource
Address: Northern Research Station
241 Mercer Springs Road
Princeton, WV 24740
Phone: 304-431-2734
E-mail: Contact Delton Alderman

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Education

• Ph.D. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (VPI), Blacksburg, VA, April 2001, Wood Science and Forest Products, emphasis in Marketing
• M.S. VPI, Blacksburg, VA, March 1998, Wood Science and Forest Products, emphasis in Marketing
• B.S. VPI, Blacksburg, VA, June 1982, Forestry and Wildlife Management, emphasis in Industrial Forestry Operations

Civic & Professional Affiliations

Forest Products Society Member, 1999 to present
American Marketing Association, 2001 to present
Society of Wood Science & Technology, 2003 to present
Society of American Foresters, 1982 to 1994

• Chair, Extension & Technology Transfer Technical Interest Group - Forest Products Society 2006-2009.
• Chair, Marketing Technical Interest Group - Forest Products Society, 2006-2009.
• Chair and Director of the Membership Committee, Forest Products Society, Carolinas-Chesapeake Section, June 2005 - 2008.

Visiting Professor, Department of Marketing at Virginia Tech

Alfred P. Sloan Industry Center Fellow and Faculty of the Alfred P. Sloan Forest Industries Center at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

Current Research

• Development of a mass customization or personalization model for the transfer of technology and knowledge.
• Assessment of attributes or cues that veneer procurement personnel emphasize in veneer log procurement.
• Assessment of attributes or cues that veneer clippers/manufacturers utilize in final clipping decisions
• Assessment of consumer preferences among and between select U.S. and foreign hardwood species.
• Assessment of primary and secondary manufacturers’ technology transfer needs, specifically gauging interest in developing personalized technology transfer.
• Entrepreneurial management and marketing for white pine sawmills and producers.
• Discernment of fashion/trendsetters in the furniture and flooring industry segments for enhancing hardwood utilization.

Why is This Important

NRS-4701's stated goals are to promote natural resource conservation and help sustain forest-based industries and economies through research and development on resource characteristics, forest management practices, and innovative processing technologies. The research scientist's projects address these goals, as sustainable industries are congruent with and integral to forest management and healthy forests.

Future Research

• Personalization of technology transfer
• Personalization of furniture manufacture
• Procurement and consumer preference effects on hardwood forest management
• Human interaction and experience with wood products

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