National Forest Products Week celebrates everything good that comes from wood



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Oct. 23, 2024

Contact: Chris Schmiege <[email protected]>, 517-275-2865

Wood products are everywhere, from tall buildings to touch screens
The DNR's new customer service center in Newberry is of mass timber construction, using Michigan red pine.

If you think forest products don’t affect your life, think again!

From microscopic particles of cellulose that make touch screens work to huge buildings using a newer construction technique known as “mass timber,” forest products are essential to everyday life.

This week is National Forest Products Week, celebrating wood products from classic items such as paper plates, napkins and furniture to innovative technologies like those touch screens and much more. Michigan has 20 million acres of forests; nearly 4 million of that is state-owned.

“Besides the many common wood products we use every day, there are also many new wood products in development,” said Brenda Haskill, Timber Sales and Utilization unit manager with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. “Many researchers are looking at new ways to use wood because thoughtfully managed forests are a sustainable resource.”

Five of North America's top 15 woodworking companies call Michigan home. They include MillerKnoll of Zeeland, Steelcase Inc. in Grand Rapids, Haworth Inc. in Holland, Cabinetworks Group in Livonia, and La-Z-Boy Inc. in Monroe.

Michigan's extensive forest products industry supports an approximately $26.5 billion economic base and includes nearly 2,000 companies. These companies range from logging and sawmills to furniture manufacturers and even producers of basketball court floors.

Many of these firms manufacture traditional products such as lumber, paper and wood pulp, but there also are many emerging and newer technologies. Mass timber is becoming more noticeable around the state. This construction technique enables building of large and tall structures using beams and panels made of engineered wood. Mass timber buildings often go up faster than traditional steel and concrete construction and use renewable materials.

A few examples of mass timber use include the STEM Teaching and Learning building on the Michigan State University campus and the Newberry DNR Customer Service Center (pictured above), which is under construction and nearly complete.

Renewable and delicious!

Maple syrup is a delicious forest product!

Forest products also include nontraditional items such as nuts, fruits, tea, mushrooms, honey, ornamental plants and medicines as well as a Michigan favorite, maple syrup.

And let’s not forget that forest products can be used for heat and energy, from renewable energy biomass to home heating with firewood.

Biochar is a wood product that makes waste such as sawdust and wood chips usable. These residual wood products can be converted into an activated carbon charcoal product that has a wide-ranging list of uses and the potential for more in the future.

For example, activated charcoal currently is used in water and air filtration systems. Also, biochar used in soils can increase soil aeration, reduce soil emissions of greenhouse gases, reduce nutrient leaching and reduce soil acidity, and can increase soil water content in coarse soils. Biochar application may greatly increase soil fertility and agricultural productivity.



Learn more

Find more information on forest products and the economics of forestry at Michigan.gov/ForestProducts [ [link removed] ].

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*Note to editors:* Accompanying photos are available below for download. Caption information follows. Credit Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

Mass timber [ [link removed] ]: The Michigan Department of Natural Resources' newest customer service center under construction in Newberry, is made of mass timber construction. The technique uses sustainable, engineered wood.

Timber [ [link removed] ]: Michigan's forest products industry contributed more than $26 billion to the state's economy in 2022. 

 


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