December 2007 WFI Update available for download

The December 2007 WFI Update is now available to download! In this issue:

• Welcome to New Fellows from China and Korea
  
• Weyerhaeuser Federal Way Headquarters Tour
  
• Farewell to Lithuanian Fellow Nerijus Miskinis
• Particleboard and Kraft Paper Mill Tours
  
• Taiwanese Alumni Reunion in Taipei: Photos from WFI Director's Trip to Taiwan
  

WFI Update can be downloaded here:
http://wfi.worldforestrycenter.org/WFIupdate12.07.pdf

Thanks,
Angie
WFI Program Manager

WFI Welcomes New Fellows from China and Korea

In November, Dr. Linsen Zhao joined WFI for a six-month Fellowship. Linsen is a professor in Landscape Architecture at the Southwest Forestry College in Kunming, Yunnan, China and he is sponsored by the China Scholarship Council. Linsen’s background is in silviculture, however, he has been working in urban forestry since 2001. In 2002-2003 Linsen spent one year at UC Berkley as a visiting scholar studying urban forestry.

During his Fellowship, Linsen will research social issues related to urban forestry, and is particularly interested in public participation in planning, planting and maintaining urban forests. He will also spend time working with research methodology for carbon sequestration by urban vegetation and various models that estimate the benefits of urban forests such as STRATUM and CITYGreen.

In December, Mr. Namgon Kwag also joined WFI for a six-month Fellowship. Namgon is sponsored by his employer, Eagon. Namgon is the fifth Fellow to be sponsored by Eagon, whose closest office is in Seattle. Namgon is a manager on the Management Support Team for Eagon Living Co. Ltd, a wood flooring subsidiary, and deals with planning and corporate activities. Previously, he has worked with Eagon on a variety of tasks, including corporate strategy planning, labor affairs, flooring distribution, and wood veneer purchasing.

During his Fellowship, Namgon will be exploring homebuilding and decorating trends and the housing market. He is interested in how Americans do business and how they are currently dealing with environmental issues.

Weyerhaeuser Kraft Mill

Mill 1 (1)
Originally uploaded by World Forest Institute

Weyerhaeuser operates a pulp and paper Kraft mill in Albany that processes 1800 tons of raw material per day. Approximately 50% of the fiber used is pulped from chips, mostly from mill waste. The remainder is from recycled packaging. Materials are brought to the facility by truck, almost all from within a 50 mile radius. The final product, which is a three layer kraft paper, is sent for finishing as linerboard and bags at other facilities.

Click on Deepak and Weyco Engineer Scott Freeburn for more photos.

Flakeboard Particleboard Mill Tour

2 mills_20071204 105
Originally uploaded by World Forest Institute

Flakeboard, a Canadian company, operates a Duraflake particleboard plant in Albany. Duraflake is a well known brand name and they produce a wide variety of panels for cabinetry, furniture, underlayment, and sheet stock. Recently there has been more demand for green certified products and they have a specialty line made without urea or formaldehyde. Altogther, the mill produces 435,000 m3 annually.

Raw materials and waste from other mills are dried, milled and blended with resins, glue, and wax. There are separate formulas for the particleboard face and core. The blended materials are then formed, pressed, sanded, and trimmed before being shipped to customers across the US.

For more photos click on the sign!

Farewell, Nerijus!

2007 passed quickly for Nerijus Miskinis, WFI’s first Lithuanian Fellow, who completed his Fellowship in December. Nerijus’ Fellowship was sponsored by the Shelk Foundation. During his time at WFI, Nerijus interviewed CEOs and managers in the forest industry in order to compare forest sector issues between the two countries.

“I feel lucky because I worked on such a project,” said Nerijus. “I liked what I did, I greatly enjoyed the people I met and I strongly believe it will help me improve my personal life in the future. How and how much? Probably I will answer this question completely 20 years later!”

Nerijus is planning to travel to Brazil before returning to Lithuania to finish his Ph.D. project at the Lithuanian University of Agriculture.

Farewells are always difficult, but Nerijus will remember the good times. “I would consider the World Forestry Center my home in the US,” said Nerijus. “I will miss this Rose City!”