College of Natural Resources

Wood Science and Forest Products

Adhesion Science

This option is rooted in chemistry and introductory polymer science. It prepares students for numerous career tracks which include: the adhesives industry, the wood-based composites industry, and other disciplines in which the unique combination of chemistry, polymer science and wood science hold great value. This option satisfies the requirements for a minor in chemistry.

Forest Products Marketing and Management

This option provides students with an industry-specific background through its combination of business and wood science coursework. There are numerous career opportunities for this option in both the private and public sectors. Employment experiences can include management of wood products manufacturing operations, marketing and sales in the wood products sector, utilization of wood to create innovative products, as well as coordination of international trade to match forest products producers to export market opportunities.

Manufacturing Systems

This option with its industrial engineering and production/operations management coursework provides a solid foundation for individuals seeking to manage wood products manufacturing operations in internationally competitive environments Within this option, students gain interdisciplinary knowledge and skills to drive creative product and process development, to effectively utilize the latest in technological innovations to assure quality in manufactured wood products, and to assure efficient and timely delivery to the customer.

Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs)

This option focuses on the socio-economic aspects of the products originating from forests other than industrial timber and how those products can impact the local and national economies of both industrialized and non-industrialized countries. Career opportunities are global and range from technical assistance to support sustainable use, management, and development of NTFPs to consulting assistance to find markets and develop management plans for NTFPs.

Packaging Science

Significant opportunities exist to improve the efficiency and safety of the global unit load logistics system of product storage and distribution by understanding how critical components in the system interact during use. Graduates of this option will be unique in the industry with an understanding of transport packaging and unit load systems-based design technologies, which include the interactions of packaging, pallets, and unit load material handling equipment. Interdisciplinary education and research will include all components of the unit load logistics system, including packaging design, pallet design, unit load stabilization, dunnage, blocking, and bracing, unit load handling equipment design, and associated interactions, and includes courses in wood science and forest products, industrial and systems engineering, material science engineering, and graphic arts.

Wood Structures and Materials

This option focuses on the study and development of better ways to use wood in buildings. The principles of engineering and physics are used to help designers and builders produce economical and durable buildings and structures. With the invention of modern wood-based composites such as oriented strand board, laminated veneer lumber, and parallel strand lumber, new possibilities for building construction are being explored and developed. The industry needs people who understand the unique engineering properties of wood and wood-based composites so that new products can be developed and that existing products are used in the proper way.

Wood Science minor and Packaging Science minor

Minors are offered for students interested in obtaining knowledge and skills in the wood science field to supplement their primary major field of study.

Course Descriptions (WOOD)

1234: INTRODUCTION TO WOOD SCIENCE AND FOREST PRODUCTS
Wood as a material. Introduction to laboratory techniques, wood processing, machining and woodworking, moisture interactions, species characteristics, microscopic techniques, measuring material properties, characteristics of forest products industry, career opportunities. (1H,3L,2C)

2104: PRINCIPLES OF PACKAGING
Packaging systems, materials, and forms and their relationship with the requirements of global societies for the distribution and storage of industrial and consumer products; packaging laws and regulations. I (3H,3C)

2124: WOOD STRUCTURE AND PROPERTIES
Macroscopic and microscopic structure and chemical composition of wood. Identification of commercially important woods. Impact of structure on physical and mechanical properties of wood. Principles of wood processing, including sawmilling, veneering, composite boards, paper. Description of the wood products industry including the products manufactured, the raw material requirements for each product, and the processing procedures. (2H,3L,3C)

2554: WOOD MATERIALS SCIENCE AND TECHNIQUES
Introduction to the basic materials science of wood, and to the common analytical techniques for characterizing and testing wood. Scientific measurements and data collection. Wood thermal properties. Mass transport in wood. Water and wood equilibria. Wood electrical properties. Wood microscopy and digital image analysis. Material property testing. Pre: 1234. (1H,3L,2C)

2614: INTRO FOREST PROD MARKETING
Study of marketing systems and methods used by North American primary and secondary forest product industries. Emphasis on wood product industries. Marketing of hardwood lumber, softwood lumber, panels, composites, furniture, and paper products. Role of North American industries and markets in world trade of forest products. (3H,3C)

2784 (FOR 2784): WORLD FORESTS AND FOREST PRODUCTS
A socio-economic approach to examining the management and use of the world's forests, enhance knowledge of global forest resources and products, and understand the roles and relationships of key stakeholders. Sophomore standing. (3H,3C)

2974: INDEPENDENT STUDY
Variable credit course.

2984: SPECIAL STUDY
Variable credit course.

3124: PAPER AND PAPERBOARD PACKAGING
Paper and paperboard properties and types. Types and performance of flexible paper packaging, sacks, and wraps. Folding carton design, properties of corrugated fiberboard. Corrugated fiberboard container design and performance. Packaging regulations and hazards of the distribution environment. Printing, labeling and automatic identification methods. Pre: 2124, 3434. (2H,3L,3C)

3224: PACKAGING AND MATERIALS HANDLING
Unit load and parcel supply chains. Principles of operation and design of warehouse distribution and fulfillment centers. Principles of operation and design of shipping and distribution systems. The relation between packaging design, pallet design, and unit load design and the operation of industrial consumer goods supply chain. Pre: 2104. (3H,3C)

3234: WOOD IDENTIFICATION PROPERTIES LABORATORY
Physical properties and characteristics of wood. Methods for determining its physical properties. Variation of the properties. Structure, properties, & processing of tropical woods. I (3L,1C)

3314: WOOD MECHANICS
Mechanical properties of wood including concepts of stress, strain, Poisson's ratio, orthotropic properties, tension, compression, bending and effects of moisture on mechanical properties. Current issues of wood mechanics in the wood product industry. Standard methods of evaluating important mechanical properties or solid wood, composites and fiber. Pre: 2554, MATH 1016. (3H,3L,4C)

3334: SURVEY OF NON-TIMBER FOREST PRODUCTS
In depth study of non-timber forest products of NTFP throughout Appalachia with overseas example – their heritage, uses and markets, economic development opportunities, and sustainable management. Emphasis will be placed on utilization and management issues. Students will gain skills necessary to assess and plan for NTFP business opportunities. (3H,3C)

3434: WOOD CHEMISTRY, PRODUCTS AND PROCESSES
Chemistry of structural wood components, polysaccharides, lignin, and extractives. Principles of industrial wood processes that involve chemical technology: pulping, bleaching and papermaking. Products derived from wood by chemical processes. Pre: 2114, CHEM 2514. (3H,3C) II.

3534: LUMBER MANUFACTURING AND DRYING
The processing of logs into dry lumber. Principles of log and lumber grading. Design and operation of log sawing and lumber drying systems. Techniques for measuring lumber manufacturing and lumber drying efficiency. The relationship between log quality, sawing, and drying and the quality of the product produced. Pre: 3114. (2H,3L,3C)

3544: SECONDARY WOOD PRODUCTS MANUFACTURING
Secondary wood products manufacturing, including raw materials, rough mill, finish mill, assembly, and finishing. Also covers machinery, wood machining, plant layout, production methods, modern industrial engineering concepts in secondary manufacturing, and wood treating. Visits to local secondary wood products manufacturing industry. Pre: 3114, 3534. (2H,3L,3C)

3954: STUDY ABROAD
Variable credit course.

3964: FIELD STUDY
Variable credit course.

4004: SENIOR SEMINAR IN FOREST PRODUCTS MARKETING AND MANAGEMENT
Integrated application of principles of management and marketing. This capstone class will develop skills in business planning and decision making for future managers in the forest products industry. Senior standing required. (1H,1C)

4024: PACKAGING DYNAMICS FOR DISTRIBUTION
Understanding, identification, and measurement of hazards in physical distribution. Design and analysis of packaging protection against such hazards as shock, vibration, compression, and climate. Includes laboratory tests of shock, vibration and compression, and performance testing of packaging and components. Pre: 3224. (2H,3L,3C)

4154: COMPUTER APPLICATION SYSTEMS IN FOREST PRODUCTS
Computer control systems with applications in the forest products industry. Survey of systems for gathering, inputting, conditioning, and managing information. Hardware and software systems for computer control applications. Use of information technologies to integrate control subject to raw material, quality, and market fluctuations. Forest products case studies in data acquisition, data analysis, database management production planning, process control, inventory control, and systems specification. Junior standing is required. (2H,3L,3C)

4224: WOOD PALLET, CONTAINER, AND UNIT LOAD DESIGN
Wood pallet design and performance. The design of wood containers and crates. Design and performance of unit loads. Design and performance of unit load equipment, i.e., conveyors, racking systems, automatic guided vehicles, fork trucks. Principles of unit load design. Mechanical interactions between pallets, packaging, and unit load handling equipment. Unit load stabilization techniques, i.e., strapping, stretch wrapping. International phytosanitation regulations of solid wood packaging; principles of dunnage, blocking and bracing. Pre: 3534, 4124, 4315. (2H,3L,3C)

4444: WOOD-BASED COMPOSITE MATERIALS
Introductory polymer, adhesion, and materials science of wood-based composites. Manufacture, performance, and testing of particulate, strand, and veneer-based composites, including wood-thermoplastic composites. Contemporary wood adhesions, binders, and matrices. Pre: 2124, 3314, 3434. (3H,3L,4C)

4445-4446: WOOD ADHESION AND COMPOSITES
Introductory polymer science and surface chemistry. Fundamentals of adhesion and fracture in adhesively bonded wood. Industrially significant adhesive systems used for bonding wood with emphasis on wood-based composites. Introduction to wood coatings, formulation, application and weather durability. 4446: Processing of wood-based composites, product design and performance; product testing and standards. Pre: 3434 for 4445; 4445 for 4446. (2H,3L,3C)

4514: WOOD PRODUCTS INDUSTRY STUDIES
Field studies of the processing systems and product manufacturing procedures of various wood products industries. I Pre: 3114. (3L,1C)

4624: WOOD INDUSTRY PRODUCTION OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT
Study of the operation of wood products organizations. Problems facing these organizations and current management practices used to address these problems. Investigation of the design and implementation of wood industry management improvement efforts. How organizations and groups design, implement, and evaluate improvements efforts. The application of techniques to production planning, financial management, inventory management, quality, human resources management, technology, performance measures, and assessment. Includes case studies of wood products manufacturing companies. Pre: 3544. (2H,3L,3C)

4634: FOREST PRODUCTS BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
This course will describe the allocation of resources within a forest products business. Students will determine how to allocate natural, human and financial resources to maximize profitability within the organization. How allocation decisions affect all stakeholders of the organization will be demonstrated and this allocation's impact upon strategic planning will be discussed. The course will also show the impact of the external business environment on management decisions. Pre: 1234, 2614, 3114. (3H,3C)

4714: WOOD PERFORMANCE IN CONSTRUCTION
Interactions of building code requirements, wood materials and building construction with special emphasis on relative merit of wood and wood-based composites versus non-wood alternatives. Construction details that lead to long-term performance such as controlling moisture infiltration, preservatives, and proper selection of materials, preservation of historic wood buildings, effectiveness and efficiency of wood building systems. Pre: 4315. (3H,3C) II.

4974: INDEPENDENT STUDY
Variable credit course.

4984: SPECIAL STUDY
Variable credit course.

4994: UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH
Variable credit course.

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