E-mail: smilauskas@fs.fed.us
E-mail: dwanner@fs.fed.us

Wood Education and Resource Center Awards
Eight Grants in Virginia to Improve Forest Health

Princeton, WVa—On August 3, 2005 the Wood Education and Resource Center (WERC) awarded 41 grants totaling nearly $3 million to help sustain hardwood forest products industries by encouraging the use of a wider variety of forest resources.

Eight grants worth a total of $423,883 were awarded in Virginia. One grant was awarded to the Pamplin College of Business at Virginia Tech to study ways to improve the transfer of new technologies from the USDA Forest Service to the private sector where they can be utilized in the forest products industry.

"These grants will help to maintain and improve the economic competitiveness of the hardwood manufacturing industries located in the Eastern United States,” said WERC Director Steve Milauskas. "By providing training and technology transfer activities on topics such as lean manufacturing and diversity management, manufacturers will be better positioned to compete in the global market."

Dr. David Brinberg, Director of the Sloan Foundation Forest Industry Center at Virginia Tech, said, “Technology transfer is more than simply improving a process or building a better tool. Unless the new technology is integrated into the companies’ business model, the application of the technology is likely to fail.”

Grant selections were based on a number of factors, including consideration of whether the proposed projects could:

• maintain the economic competitiveness of the hardwood industries;

• bring information and technology about marketing and business-related skills to existing and emerging businesses;
• encourage the adoption of new technology to improve competitiveness and profitability;
• provide support and key information to entrepreneurs and start-up businesses; and
• address global issues, such as assisting communities and industries facing threats from invasive species, such as the Emerald Ash Borer.

The Wood Education and Resource Center, located in Princeton, WVa is administered by the USDA Forest Service agency's State and Private Forestry Northeastern Area Office. The center's mission is to work with the forest products industry toward sustainable forest products production for the eastern hardwood forest region. It provides state-of-the-art training, technology transfer, networking opportunities, applied research, and information. For more information, visit www.na.fs.fed.us/ea/werc/werc.shtm.