Francis G. Wagner

Idaho's Forest Products Industry: A Descriptive Analysis

____________________________________ Morgan, Todd A.; Keegan, Charles E., III; Spoelma, Timothy P.; Dillon, Thale; Hearst, A. Lorin; Wagner, Francis G.; DeBlander, Larry T. Idaho’s forest products industry: a descriptive analysis. Resour. Bull. RMRS-RB-XXX. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 31 p. This report provides a description of the structure, capacity, and condition of Idaho’s primary forest products industry; traces the flow of Idaho’s 2001 timber harvest through the primary sectors; and quantifies volumes and uses of wood fiber. The economic contribution of the forest products industry to the State and historical industry changes are discussed, as well as trends in timber harvest, production, and sales.

DEVELOPING A MODEL SYSTEM IN VITRO TO UNDERSTAND TRACHEARY ELEMENT DEVELOPMENT IN DOUGLAS-FIR (PSEUDOSTUGA MENSZIESII)

Callus cells were initiated on cambial strips obtained from 4 to 8 y old Douglas-fir (Pseudostuga menziesii) trees, cultured on solidified Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 2,4- dichlorophenoxyaceticacid (2,4-D) and benzylaminopurine (BA). The cultures could be maintained by sub-culturing on fresh medium every four weeks. When the callus cells were subsequently transferred to liquid MS medium supplemented with different phytohormones, suspension cultures could be initiated and maintained by periodic sub-culture. Approximately 65% of the callus cells cultured on liquid MS medium supplemented with 2,4-D, when maintained for 6-7 weeks without sub-culture, differentiated to tracheary element (TE) like cells. The formation of TE like cells was confirmed histochemically by staining with phloroglucinol-HCl. Secondary thickening of the cell walls were confirmed by polarized light microscopy, which showed strong birefringence of the cell wall due the presence of crystalline cellulose. The presence of lignin was determined by pyrolysis- GC-MS and FTIR spectroscopy. The lignin content in differentiated cell wall samples was quantified at 21% by the lignothioglycolic acid assay. Analysis of monosaccharide composition of cell wall samples after acid hydrolysis showed that the percentage of glucose, xylose and mannose had increased in the differentiated cell walls. These increases correspond to the formation of cellulose, glucomannan and xylan, primarily associated with secondary cell walls.

Mitigation of Brown Stain in Ponderosa Pine Shop-Grade Lumber Using High Temperatures Early in Kiln Schedules

ABSTRACT Brown stain makes the appearance of ponderosa pine shop lumber look dark, streaky, and splotchy, which often results in lumber downgrading. When brown stain occurs in a piece of shop lumber, it is often sorted separately and ultimately sold for a discount. Manufacturers of ponderosa pine shop lumber have adopted low-temperature dry kiln schedules to mitigate brown stain effects. The low-temperature schedules are lengthy, often taking more than 100 hours of drying time. Preliminary high-temperature (>212°F [100°C]) drying schedules have reduced drying time while minimizing brown stain effects. The purpose of this study was to further explore drying schedules with high temperatures early in the schedules followed by conventional drying settings. Results showed that 10 hours of initial high-temperature drying can be used without brown stain affecting the visual grades of ponderosa pine shop lumber while reducing drying time up to 17 percent.