pulp chips also expanded 

 rapidly, thanks in large part 

 to experiments by the pulp 

 and paper industry. 



Another postwar develop- 

 ment in utilization research 

 was the establishment or 

 expansion of forest products 

 laboratories in a number of 

 Southern States. These 

 included a laboratory at 

 North Carolina State Univer- 

 sity, well known for research 

 on pulp and paper. A 

 laboratory at Mississippi 

 State University developed 

 special expertise in wood 

 preservation. Universities in 

 Georgia, Alabama, Virginia, 

 and Texas also built up 

 forest products laboratories. 

 The Forest Service estab- 

 lished two regional laborato- 

 ries in the South in the 

 1960's, one at Alexandria, 

 LA, initially under the direc- 

 tion of Peter Koch, and one 

 at Athens, GA, under R.R. 

 Bloomquist. 



Research conducted at 

 Federal, State, and industrial 

 laboratories has led to 

 many new products or 

 uses as well as greatly 

 improved efficiency in the 

 manufacture of conventional 

 wood-based materials. 

 Research on housing sys- 



tems, for example, has 

 helped reduce costs and 

 improve performance of 

 both conventional and 

 factory-built housing. New 

 markets have been devel- 

 oped for preservative- 

 treated wood foundations. 

 Construction techniques 

 using improved vapor 

 barriers have provided 

 practicable and economical 

 methods of moisture control. 



Other developments in use 

 of wood include glued 

 laminated arches, beams, 

 and other items made of 

 southern pine as well as 

 other superior species. 

 Development of these 

 engineered products 

 stemmed in large part from 

 the work of many re- 

 searchers in design, adhe- 

 sives, finger jointing, timber 

 connectors, wood preserva- 

 tives, and finishing. 



Research at Madison and 

 other laboratories also led 

 to the development and 

 commercial manufacture of 

 a variety of panel products 

 (e.g., USDA Forest Service 

 1978c). These include 

 fiberboard, particleboard, 

 flakeboard, oriented strand 

 board, honeycomb panels, 

 composite framing, panels 



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