MARKETING AND DEVELOPMENT OF ENVIRONMENTALLY RESPONSIBLE WOOD-BASED BUILDING, BIO-PACKAGING, AND ENERGY MATERIALS

Solid wood and engineered wood products (EWPs), including wood-based bioenergy products such as firewood, wood pellets, and wood chips, have potential advantages within 'green' building, logistics, and energy programs. In particular, the important roles for and development needs of environmentally responsible building materials, packaging platforms, and wood-based bioenergy products warrants examination to better understand their roles within user groups and national and international standards-setting organizations. The market development perspective may include various life-cycle issues such as raw material procurement, manufacturing, distribution, installation, energy performance, and disposal. And marketing communications mix elements, such as advertising and branding, value delivery, and trade show use and effectiveness may be of special research interest to 'green' marketing programs. New product and market development of 'green' technologies, products, and markets for use in residential and industrial infrastructure applications will continue. Ongoing packaging phytosanitation research will be conducted in cooperation with scientists in Entomology at Penn State and funded by USDA Methyl Bromide Transitions Research Program. Work in wood-based bioenergy will be continued with the hope of finding additional external funding partners for this important renewable energy sector.