http://www.fs.fed.us/research/
Wisconsin – Forest Products Laboratory
The Forest Service funds forest products related research nationally through its Forest Products Laboratory,
which is located in Madison, Wisconsin.
FPL-4706 Composites Science Research
FPL-4707 Forest Materials Modification Research
FPL-4709 Fiber & Chemical Sciences
FPL-4712 Institute for Microbial & Biochemical Sciences
FPL-4714 Engineered Properties & Structures
FPL-4723 Durability & Wood Protection Research
FPL-4851 Economics & Statistics Research
FY 2013
Enacted ($)
$1,671,000
2,616,000
2,919,000
2,506,000
3,206,000
2,746,000
2,152,000
FY 2014
Enacted ($)
$1,875,000
2,905,000
3,205,000
2,790,000
3,500,000
3,050,000
2,397,000
FY 2015
Budget ($)
$1,575,000
2,905,000
2,705,000
2,543,000
3,150,000
2,350,000
2,397,000
WISCONSIN TOTAL
$17,816,000
$19,722,000
$17,625,000
State Funding History
construction materials related to green building
construction.
The
nanotechnology
research
program
advances
the
underlying
science
and
technology
needed
to
fill
fundamental
knowledge gaps to allow the commercialization
of cellulosic nanomaterials from forest biomass.
Important research will continue on overcoming
the key technical barriers for cost-effective
production and use of cellulosic nanomaterials.
Forest Products Laboratory Research Station
Overview
Located in Madison, WI, the Forest Products
Laboratory (FPL) is the Nation’s leading Federal
wood utilization research laboratory and serves
the entire U.S. The FPL develops science and
technology to conserve, extend, and sustainably
utilize forest resources to improve the health,
diversity, and productivity of the Nation’s forests
to meet the needs of current and future
generations.
The FY 2015 President’s Budget for FPL is
$17,627,000. In addition, FPL will receive $651,000
for National Fire Plan research.
FY 2015 Program Changes
The FY 2015 President’s Budget includes a
decrease of $2,097,000 from the FY 2014 Enacted.
FPL will continue research in new technologies
such as nanotechnology and use of alternate
While the green building research program will
continue, the emphasis on life cycle inventory/life
cycle assessment in support of the USDA climate
change mitigation strategy will be discontinued.
FS partnerships in science delivery/technology
transfer for nonresidential structures and research
related to residential applications and new green
building systems such as cross-laminated timber
will also be reduced.
Priority Research in Wisconsin
FS R&D priority research areas build on existing
local and regional research to solve issues
important to the American people. Priority
research activities in Wisconsin include:
Green Building: FPL leads in advancing wood as a
green building material. Policy makers, industry,
and resource management organizations support
a science-based approach to outlining the
benefits of using wood and wood-based
products in green buildings. Robust markets for
green building materials will enhance economic
incentives for maintaining privately owned forests
in forest use.
Nanotechnology: Technological advancements
resulting from the FPL’s nanotechnology program
will generate new revenue streams from nanoenabled materials and products. This will create
economic growth, jobs, and new opportunities for
skilled workers in the forest sector using materials
we can grow, transport, and very efficiently
convert into value-added products in the U.S.
Bioenergy/Biomass Management: Sustainable
forest management, cost-effective harvesting,
and efficient conversion to advanced biofuels
and chemical feedstocks will enable America’s
forests to help meet U.S. energy security,
environmental
quality,
and
economic
development needs. Through FPL’s research,
innovative advances in forest biomass to energy
and chemical feedstock production science and
technology will reduce fossil fuel usage, improve
forest health, and reduce forest fire risks.
Localized Needs Research in Wisconsin
Focusing on critical regional and local research
Research
Needs research results and tools and
issues,
FPL provides
technologies including:
Nanocellulose Public-Private Partnership: A
public-private partnership between the U.S.
Endowment for Forestry and Communities and
the FS was formed to speed commercialization of
cellulosic nanomaterials. The Partnership’s primary
goal is advancing the development of the first
U.S. commercial facility producing cellulosic
nanomaterial at scale to showcase the potential
of these materials and their contribution to the
economy and the environment.
Coalition for Advanced Wood Structures: This
partnership among universities, industry, and
government works to achieve sustainable,
efficient use of forest resources while improving
the economy and performance of wood
structures. The Coalition for Advanced Wood
Structures effectively functions as an extension of
the Forest Products Laboratory, cooperatively
participating in research and technology transfer.
This coalition increases program efficiency and
leverages federal funding to maximize public
benefits.
Woody Biomass Utilization: Forests in the United
States contain a substantial amount of smalldiameter, overstocked, and underutilized forest
biomass. Overstocked stands, insect and diseasekilled trees, and trees damaged or killed by
weather events put forests in all regions of the U.S.
at risk from catastrophic fire events. FPL research
into finding uses and markets for this material
helps offset the high cost of mechanical thinning
and burning, while improving the vigor,
productivity and resiliency of public and private
forests.
Proposed Biorefinery Pilot Plant: National goals for
renewable, advanced biofuels production will not
be
achieved
without
economically-viable
commercial production from woody biomass. FS
scientists, in collaboration with partners, are
poised to conduct scale-up of innovative
conversion technologies for forest biomass into
liquid transportation fuels and other value-added
products but lack the pilot plant facilities. The
proposed pilot facilities at the FPL will facilitate
development of improved technologies and
expedite
commercialization
of
innovative
laboratory-scale processes for converting forest
biomass into biofuels and other valued–added
products.
FOREST SERVICE RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT (FS R&D) is a world leader in innovative science for sustaining global forest resources for future
generations. Research findings and products benefit forest and rangeland managers, and everyone who uses goods or services from
forests. We operate five research stations that encompass all 50 states, the Forest Products Laboratory located in Madison, Wisconsin, and
the International Institute of Tropical Forestry located in Puerto Rico. Our researchers and support personnel are located at 67 field sites
throughout the United States. We also maintain 80 experimental forests and ranges across the Nation. Our unique ability to integrate
science and decision making and to work across boundaries between public, private, and tribal lands through strong partnerships
advances the Agency’s three core themes of restoration, communities, and fire.
The FS R&D program has two components: Priority Research Areas and Strategic Program Areas. The Priority Research Areas address
urgent needs in seven areas: Forest Disturbance, Forest Inventory and Analysis, Watershed Management and Restoration, Bioenergy and
Biobased Products, Urban Natural Resources Stewardship, Nanotechnology, and Localized Needs Research (region-specific needs). The
Strategic Program Areas (SPAs) are the long-term programs from which Priority Research Areas are funded. The seven SPAs are: Wildland
Fire and Fuels; Invasive Species; Recreation; Resource Management and Use; Water, Air, and Soil; Wildlife and Fish; and Inventory and
Monitoring.
The FY 2015 President’s Budget includes $275,315,000 for Forest and Rangeland Research, $19,795,000 for the FS R&D National Fire Plan, and
$6,914,000 for the Joint Fire Science Program.