By Rebecca Wallace, Public Affairs Specialist

Forest Products Laboratory (FPL) researchers have a long history of successful partnerships with a vast array of organizations, from industry to academia, non-government to government organizations, tribes to trade associations. Combining ideas, skills, expertise, lab facilities, and equipment with various partners has expanded our capabilities—and those of our partners—to everyone's benefit. Here is one example of a long-standing, productive partnership between FPL and the wood products industry.

APA - The Engineered Wood Association

APA - The Engineered Wood Association (APA) is the nonprofit trade association of the U.S. and Canadian engineered wood products industry. The Association includes and represents manufacturers of structural plywood, oriented strandboard, glued-laminated (glulam) timber, wood I-joists, and laminated veneer lumber.

For over 70 years, APA has focused on helping the industry create structural wood products of exceptional strength, versatility, and reliability. APA's primary functions are quality auditing and testing, product application and systems research, and market support and development.

The partnerships between APA and FPL illustrate the benefits of collaborative efforts when working toward a common goal. "FPL's wood products research expertise makes it an ideal partner for a wide variety of mutual projects," said Jack Merry, industry communications director for APA. "FPL complements APA's own research capabilities and lends additional strength to our technology transfer efforts."

According to Mike Ritter, assistant director for wood products research at FPL, the partnership between APA and FPL is key to the efficient use of government resources. "Partnering with APA and its members allows us to leverage government funding, thereby providing the biggest return to taxpayers," Ritter said.

APA has been involved in many of FPL's high-profile projects. A key player in the construction of the Research Demonstration House at FPL in 2001, the Association also provided educational materials from its Build a Better Home program, a builder/designer education and training program to address moisture-related building envelope performance issues (www.fpl.fs.fed.us/ahrc/index.html).

The Sustainable Resource House, a structure demonstrating the use of engineered wood products, was built on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., during the Smithsonian's Folklife Festival in 2005. This educational outreach project was the result of collaboration among APA, FPL, and several other partners (www.sustainableresourcehouse.org).

The Forest Products Laboratory has also worked with APA through several partnerships that focus on the improved use of wood products in a variety of applications. For example, the Coalition for Advanced Wood Structures (CAWS), a university, industry, and government partnership created to foster the sustainable use of forest resources, is the result of an joint effort among APA, FPL, NAHB Research Center, University of Idaho, Iowa State University, and Mississippi State University (www.fpl.fs.fed.us/caws/index.html).

According to Merry, joint projects currently underway through CAWS include a cost comparison study of raised wood floor versus slab-on-grade construction and research to provide raised wood floor moisture performance data. Both projects are especially relevant to Gulf Coast rebuilding efforts.

Recently, FPL cooperated with APA and the Wood Products Council to conduct a research needs assessment for wood-framed commercial buildings in California. According to Ritter, this is the beginning of a large-scale North American program to introduce more wood applications in the commercial building market.

"Conducting a needs assessment such as this helps to ensure our research not only addresses key issues, but also focuses our limited resources in areas that provide the most benefit to the American public," said Ritter.