Wood Education and Resource Center Competitive Grants Program for Fiscal Year 2009

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The Wood Education and Resource Center (WERC), Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture is accepting applications for cost-share demonstration projects that assist the WERC in meeting its mission of facilitating interaction and information exchange with the forest products industry that will enhance opportunities for sustained forest products production in the eastern hardwood forest region. The anticipated funding available this fiscal year is expected to be approximately $1 million. Final amount will be determined once the Forest Service has received it’s official budget for Fiscal Year 2009. Completed applications are due to the WERC on or before February 2, 2009. Priority will be given to projects that accomplish one or more of the following items:• Maintain the economic competitiveness of primary and secondary hardwood industries. Examples include:1.) Encouraging the adoption of new technology to improve competitiveness and profitability, 2.) Bringing information and technology about processing, marketing, and business-related skills as well as urban wood utilization to existing and emerging businesses, and3.) Developing utilization options that improve forest stewardship and health.• Increase the knowledge and information about how the hardwood industry can contribute to the green building movement. Examples include certification and chain of custody for sustainable wood products as well as life cycle analysis for a range of wood products.• Increase the knowledge, information, and promotion of how carbon sequestration by wood products can provide a competitive edge to a sustainable hardwood industry. An example includes developing specific carbon storage factors for a range of wood products.• Develop technology and markets to address urgent issues on a global or domestic scale, including: 1.) Sanitizing wood packaging materials, firewood, and similar products to eliminate these pathways for the transport of insect and disease pests, and 2.) Developing markets for and using unexpected increases in the volume of urban and rural wood due to new pest introductions (for example emerald ash borer) and weather events such as tornados and ice storms. • Increase the sustainable use of woody biomass to meet our Nation’s needs for energy and raw materials. Examples include public/private partnerships for using woody biomass in heating and cooling, process energy, cogeneration, district energy systems, and solid and liquid fuel production. Projects may also develop or maintain local markets and forest industry infrastructure by using woody biomass for both energy and value-added products. Additional details can be obtained by visiting; http://www.na.fs.fed.us/werc/grants.shtm.

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