|
Consulting Engineers - Market Analysts - Project
Managers
Forest
Products Industry Based Economic Development
Much of Mater Engineering’s work over the last several
decades has been in the area of economic development based on the forest
products industry. Many areas
throughout the world are realizing the methods of doing business in the past
will no longer work in today’s economy.
While every project is different, in the last several years we have
performed many projects in communities with similar issues. Projects have included work in Interior
British Columbia on assisting several communities in sustaining and reviving
their forest products industry in the face of changing regulatory and market
conditions; building an industry in Bolivia to utilize currently
underutilized species, finding solutions for a shrinking industry in Western
Massachusetts; and many more. Much of
this work relates to underutilized species such as aspen, Juniper, Eastern
Red Cedar, “high defect” lumber.
Our work in North Fork and Hayfork, California;
Flagstaff, Arizona, Northern Idaho, Washington, Western Montana, Western
Virginia has focused on assisting communities in rebuilding a forest industry
using what used to be considered “low quality” logs while at the same time
“cleaning up” their forests. Many of
these communities face similar issues; insect infestation, decay, fire
hazard, underutilized or “high graded” timber resources, marketing, and
product development.
Our recent work in Northeastern Oregon has been to
introduce a new plantation species of hybrid poplar to industry and the
market place as solid wood products.
In the past, these plantations were planted to produce fiber for the
chip market. With the drop in chip
values, the plantation owners were faced with the need to find new products
and markets. Until Mater Engineering
was brought in to study the possibilities, few people believed that hybrid
poplar could be successful in the solid wood market place.
Often during studies we find one of the identified
options is the development of cooperative or shared facilities to assist small
manufacturers to provide services the market place demands. The techniques utilized in these areas
have included flexible manufacturing networks where businesses cooperate to
provide marketing and services to a customer; cooperative ventures where several
businesses pool resources to provide shared services; incubator facilities
set up to nurture start-up business with shared facilities such as
warehousing, administrative services, drying and planing, etc. Each of these options can be accomplished
with or without various forms of government assistance in operation or
financing.
 Return to Return to Forest Industries Home Page
101 S.W. Western Blvd.
PO Box O
Corvallis, Oregon 97339
541-753-7335
Fax: 541-752-2952
E-Mail: mater@mater.com
Web page last updated on January 7, 2001
|