Oregon State is a major wood science and engineering research center in North America and one of the largest comprehensive university research programs in the world. All faculty are active researchers or scholars. Our research programs are interdisciplinary and linked very closely to our graduate education program.
Research is supported by extramural grants and contracts, a voluntary tax on the harvest of timber in Oregon as well as by state and federal appropriations. Department faculty provide contract testing and evaluation services on a fee basis as time, equipment and facilities allow.
Oregon State is one of twelve universities who participate in a USDA Special Research Grant for Improved Utilization of Wood. We are also charter members of CORRIM, the Consortium for Research on Renewable Industrial Materials and the Wood-based Composites Center .
Our research program has the following objectives:
- Expand wood science knowledge base, especially in: the relationship between silvicultural/environmental factors on tree growth and wood properties; manipulation of wood fiber properties for advanced composite materials.
- Improve the competitiveness of Oregon’s forest products industry through: computer-aided manufacturing technology to improve efficiency; improved drying processes to enhance product quality and profit; minimizing environmental impacts of production and use; and through enhanced environmental marketing and business management strategies.
- Develop innovative new processes and products, especially with wood-based composite materials and wood treatments; and through exploring the potential for useful pharmaceuticals from forest materials or wood residues.
- Extend service life of wood-based products through active preservation of wood products, discovery of new biocides/treatment methods, and better understanding of the fungal biodeterioration process.
- Increase efficiency in the use of wood-based materials, especially through a better understanding of the benefits and limitations of wood as an engineering material; and through improved engineering design to reduce costs while maintaining or enhancing safety.
