2000 UAS News Releases

October 19, 2000
UAS Sitka Receives Funding to help Wood Products Industry

The University of Alaska Southeast Sitka campus has received first-year federal funding in the amount of $539,000 to begin a program directed toward helping Alaska become competitive in the value-added wood products industry.

"UAS will now be able to develop facilities, staff and expert assistance for individuals, industry and government agencies focusing on forest products utilization issues," according to Kathie Eulain, assistant director at the UAS Sitka campus and one of the project's principal investigators.

Program funding comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES) through UAF, Alaska's land grant campus. Only eight other universities nationwide participate in this special grants program. For the past 15 years CSREES has been an on-going program with annual funding going to participating universities in a non-competitive grant process. The appropriation for next year's funding for the UAS Sitka program is $650,000, pending congressional approval.

UAS will be working in conjunction with staff/faculty at the UAF School of Agriculture and Land Resources Management in Fairbanks to impact the forest products industry statewide.

UAS has also committed $150,000 of this year's grant money to support the Alaska Manufacturer's Association in their efforts to establish an in-grade testing program in Ketchikan.

There are several goals for the UAS forest products program, according to Etulain. "The focus is to help both large and small operators carve out a niche in the sustainable production of value-added wood products; to develop innovative training opportunities for entrepreneurs and producers of value-added wood products in applying the latest technologies available in the manufacture of these products; and to develop viable marketing techniques in Alaska, throughout the lower 48 and around the pacific rim."

The UAS Forest Products program will: