Northeastern Area

Wood Education and Resource Center

Webcast Archive

Missed a webcast? To play past webcasts, click on the links below. To save for later viewing, right-click on the link, select "Save Target As..." and save it to your local hard drive.

To get call-in information for upcoming webcasts, go to our Workshops and Training Opportunities page

• Firewood Processing Workshop and Webcast
  September 27, 2012 – (Award number 2011-DG-057) – Workshop provided an educational and networking event to provide the firewood processing industry the latest knowledge on processing, kiln drying and marketing of firewood.  Webcast includes the following presentations:
  1. Introduction and Overview, Harry Watt, North Carolina State University (NCSU)
  2. Current Status of Firewood Industry, Scott Salveson, Director, National Firewood Association
  3. Current Firewood Research Project at WVU, Liz Basham, Research Student at West Virginia University
  4. Overview of Insect Quarantines; Justin Thaxton, USDA APHIS
  5. Who Is Buying Firewood? Harry Watt, NCSU, Wood Products Extension
  6. New York Firewood - Learning What Works and What Does Not in the Firewood Producing Business; Forbes Narch, Firewood Processor Business Owner
  7. Forest Management Practices to Compliment the Firewood Industry; Consulting Foresters Panel
  8. Firewood Processing Equipment; Marcus Steigerwaldt, Multitek
  9. Dry Kilns, Heating Systems, Schedules, Management & Maintenance; Niels Jorgenson, Kiln-Direct
  10. Wood Stove Emissions and the Movement to Modernize Wood Heating in the U.S.; John Ackerly President, Alliance for Green Heat.

Please note: There were several audio recording issues with this webcast. Several presentations have no or interrupted audio (presentations 4, 5, 9, 10, 11)

• 2012 Wood Industry Week @ WERC
  Includes a series of workshops available for viewing online. Topics include: ROMI 4.0, Enhancing economic competitiveness, Developing new marketing strategies, Mass customization, Lean manufacturing, Making effective use of technological advances, Product costing, Small and medium enterprises in the U.S. wood products industry.
  
  
• Biomass Thermal Energy Council’s Educational Webinar Series
  A series of 14 educational webinars about emissions, combined heat and power, thermal markets, and advanced technologies, among others were completed with the assistance of a WERC-sponsored grant. Topics are:
1. Biomass Heating and CHP
2. Residential Use of Biomass
   
3. Legislation and Regulation
4. Air Quality / Emissions
   
5. Large‐Scale Biomass and CHP
   
6. Successful Biomass Markets – The European Example
   
7. Biomass Thermal Finance: Options, Steps, and Resources for Biomass Project
   Development
8. Public Perception of Biomass Thermal Energy
   
9. Agricultural vs. Woody Biomass – Contrasts and Comparisons
   
10. The Future of Biomass Thermal Energy – Advanced Technologies
11. Biomass Thermal Outlook ‐ Regional Perspective‐ Northeast
    
12. Biomass Thermal Outlook ‐ Regional Perspective ‐ Midwest
    
13. Biomass Thermal Outlook ‐ Regional Perspective ‐ West
    
14. Biomass Thermal Markets – Outlook 2012‐2015

• July 10, 2012: Quarterly Webcast and Conference Call on Ash-Urban Wood Utilization
  Presentation topics include: Forest health update; update on WERC urban wood utilization activities; update on Tree Care Industries Association’s A300 ANSI standard for wood utilization; discussion on needs/opportunities for urban wood harvesting training curriculum and update on urban wood utilization training by state; updates on IL EAB Wood Utilization Team, southeast MI ash-urban wood utilization activities, Western Lake Erie Basin wood utilization working group; and outcome of an Ohio State University student industrial design class project.
• April 4, 2012: Quarterly Webcast and Conference Call on Ash-Urban Wood Utilization
  Topics include:
  1. Update on Wood Education and Resource Center urban wood utilization activities
  2. Update on Tree Care Industries Association A300 ANSI Standard for wood utilization - Bob Rouse, Chief Program Officer
  3. Discussion: needs/opportunities for urban wood harvesting training curriculum
  4 Update on web-based guidelines for urban tree utilization/characteristics project - Brian Brashaw, U of MN - Duluth
  5. Update on IL EAB Wood Utilization Team - Edith Makra
  6. Feature presentation by Jessica Simons, "Marketing Urban Wood Products in Michigan"
• Impact of Increasing Energy Cost on the Hardwood Lumber Manufacturing Industry
  April 4, 2012 – (Award number 2009-DG-072) – Webcast provides an overview including results and findings of a study funded at VA Tech, Department of Sustainable Bio-Materials pertaining to the impacts of increasing energy cost and actions that can be taken to address this issue.
  
• Relationship of Mineral Stain in Red Oak to Growth Site Variables
  March 28, 2012 – (Award number 2009-DG-075) – An overview including results and findings of a study funded at VA Tech, Department of Sustainable Materials pertaining to growth site variables in relationship with the presence of mineral stain in red oak species.
• Factors to Consider when Establishing a Community Wood Reclamation System
  September 22, 2011—The result of a grant funded with the Illinois Conservation Fund (Award number 2010-DG-107). It provides an overview of project findings. The project identified potential supply and markets, reviewed operational logistics and organizational options, and created financial projections for a multi-municipality urban tree reclamation system. Specifically, the study looked at establishing a pilot reclamation center at the start-up biomass energy plant, Robbins Community Power (RCP) in Robbins, Illinois, as the first phase in a comprehensive reclamation system with satellite locations. The Community Wood Reclamation System, nicknamed Robbinswood, would source wood chips for RCP's biomass energy needs, but also divert higher quality logs for higher uses, thus assuring landowners that their trees will realize their highest possible use. The Illinois Emerald Ash Borer Wood Utilization Team (WUT) and Industry Advisory Council oversaw the study, which was conducted by the Purdue University Department of Forestry and Natural Resources; Timber Steward, LLC, a timber marketing and wood utilization specialist; and the marketing consulting firm, Work In Motion. This webinar on the study findings is geared toward helping other communities considering the development of a community wood reclamation system.
  
• Vacuum/Steam Treatment of Wood Pallets and Pallet Stringers Webcast
  January 18, 2012 (Award Number 2010-DG-090)—Webcast provides results and findings of a study funded at VA Tech, Department of Wood Science and Forest Products regarding the use of vacuum/steam treatment process for phytosanitizing wood packaging materials.
• Life Cycle Inventory Tools for the Hardwood Industry
  December 15, 2011  (Award number 2010-DG-109)—The webinar explained the Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) process and provided a template for wood product manufacturers to employ for building life cycle inventories for their product lines. The webinar starts with a basic explanation and background of LCI based upon examples from a solid strip hardwood flooring manufactured in Wisconsin. The process of developing a LCI for hardwood flooring can be applied to other products in the wood industry. 
  
• Mechanized Processing/Utilization of Urban Trees
  February 7, 2011 - Webcast provides details on a study conducted with the City of Oak Creek, WI, that focused on demonstrating and analyzing the effectiveness of mechanized cut-to-length equipment to remove and process urban trees, primarily affected with emerald ash borer, in various situations.
• The Business of Making Wood Pellets
  August 18, 2011 - The webcast provides information about a WERC-funded project with Adam Taylor, Forest Products Center, University of Tennessee (2009-DG-078). Specific information is about life cycle analysis of hardwood fuel pellets.
  
• International Scientific Conference on Hardwood Processing
  October 16 - 18, 2011—The International Scientific Conference on Hardwood Processing in Blacksburg, VA, saw contributions, discussions, and networking reclamation system.
• Carbon Impact of Forest Products
  July 20, 2011—The result of a grant funded with the University of Tennessee—Forest Products Center (Award number 2010-DG-087). It provides an overview of project findings.
• Bioenergy and Climate Policies and the Impact on Existing Forest Products Industries
  June 28, 2011 - Dr. Jim Bowyer, Director of Responsible Materials Program at Dovetail Partners, Inc. A joint presentation of WERC and Dovetail Partners.
• Carbon Storage Factors for Urban Hardwood Products
  On June 10, 2011, Steve Bratkovich, Dovetail Partners, and Sam Sherrill, author of Harvesting Urban Timber, talk about the importance of continuing to find economic uses and solutions for urban tree removals.
• The Dollars & Sense of Going Green
  This conference, held March 17-18, 2011, in Indianapolis, brought together wood products professionals, industry suppliers and trade association representatives to learn what's new and discuss wood certification and other "green" issues that impact the North American woodworking industry. Presenters included representatives of the major wood certification organizations, plus industry associations and wood product companies.
• Architects & Engineers: The Missing Link in Wood Energy
  Results of a national survey: You can build sales into renovation of commercial and institutional buildings. Your real customers are the architects and engineers retained by developers. This program will explain why those design professionals and contractors can become interested in wood-fired HVAC and how you can do it.
• Building an Urban Wood Utilization Program: A Twin Cities Case Study
  This presentation describes how the business model of industrial ‘clusters’ is being used to support urban wood utilization in the Minneapolis-St. Paul (Twin Cities) metro area. It includes lessons learned and recommendations to support the development of strong, sustainable urban wood utilization clusters.
• Furniture Maker’s Foray Into The Computer; How Digital Technology Can Support Creativity
  April 29—This webcast showcased techniques for using computers in furniture and wood craft design work. In Quicktime format.
• Harvesting Urban Timber
  Sam Sherrill, Associate Professor, University of Cincinnati - Thurs, April 24, 2008. This webcast covered many excellent examples of what can be done with urban lumber and innovative ways it has been harvested. Participants learned about valuable uses of individual species, species of interest, and specifications on harvesting urban logs. The second half of the presentation provided the first overview of a study by David MacFarlane, Michigan State University, “Measures of Wood Resources in Lower Michigan: Wood Residues and the Saw Timber Content of Urban Forests.”
• Inspection of Historic Wood Structures
  This site includes a presentation on the inspection, renovation and rehabilitation of Grey Towers National Historic Site PDF and text only formats.
• Maintaining Competitiveness through Employee Ownership in the Forest Products Industry
  This webinar looks at regaining stability in the forest products industry by allowing the employees of a company to purchase the company's stock. Just as long-term sustainable forest management serves the greater good of the forest, the long-term employee stock ownership plan management philosophy serves the greater good of its employee owners.
• Multiple Wood Using Systems at One Location
  Presented by Don Peterson, Renewable Resource Solutions, LLC, this webinar discussed some of the challenges smaller businesses faced in meeting a rising demand for wood pellets while the supply of raw materials shrank. The overall goal of the project was to make the most of forest resources by identifying production systems that could operate in one location, optimizing the use of wood waste and forest residue.
• The Opportunity of Biomass Energy: Renewable Heating and CHP
  The Biomass Thermal Energy Council and WERC partnered to present this webinar provides an overview of the biomass heating and CHP market including: market background, woody and non-woody feedstocks, supply chains, economic impacts, available technologies, and challenges and opportunities. Click here to download the slides from the presentation, and here to access a live recording of the webinar.
  
• Producing and Merchandising from Underutilized Waste Wood Resources
  Thom L. Labrie, Auburn Enterprises LLC - Wednesday, March 19, 2008 This presentation discussed the connection between recovering underutilized waste wood, sources, potential recovery opportunities and marketing products. Issues such as "why use waste wood?" and "opportunities related to going green in the industry," will be discussed. The webcast concluded with examples of some interesting niche market products.
• Promoting the Use of Non-Destructive Test Technologies for Increased productivity and Public Safety
  This video highlights the results of a project funded by the WERC (Award number 08-DG-099) that provides information about non-destructive testing methods and techniques to evaluate and detect decay in standing trees. Primary project cooperator was Allison Tree Care, Inc. Madison, WI.
• Remaining Competitive in the Wood Components Industry
  This workshop was held at the Wood Education and Resource Center's facility in Princeton, WV, on April 20-21, 2009. Presented in partnership with Virginia Technical University, topics were The Economy and the Wood Industry, Lean Manufacturing, and Green Certification. Presentation videos and slides are collected at the link.
• True North Woods
  This link takes you to 10 webcasts focused on assisting wood products businesses. Topics include marketing, web site access, certification, branding, and selling. The Minnesota Wood Campaign oversaw the development of the webcasts. (WERC Grant Award number: 05-DG-321)