Inside Iowa State: Iowa State University

August 29, 2003

Iowa wood works

by Diana Pounds
The Jeld-Wen fiberboard plant in Dubuque has a big appetite for woodchips. Not just any chips -- but chips with special fibers and stability. Chips that can be turned into quality wood moldings that form the outer layer on Jeld-Wen doors. Chips that traditionally have come from out of state.

When the firm sought new wood sources, it looked closer to home. And researchers in Iowa State's natural resource ecology and management department knew just where to go -- an experimental grove of poplar trees that was part of a joint study between ISU and the city of Ames. The trees grow fast and produce wood fibers that are well-suited for fiberboard products.

Professors Monlin Kuo and Doug Stokke worked with Jeld-Wen to perfect processing of wood fiber into an outer layer for interior doors. A subsequent test run at the Dubuque plant proved the Iowa-grown wood had the right stuff. It made for a better product at a lower cost than other wood chips the plant had used.

Now, professor Rick Hall is working with Jeld-Wen to develop poplar trees that are even better suited to Jeld-Wen's needs. And Jeld-Wen officials plan to grow a consistent supply of the Iowa wood. Experts from ISU, staff from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, and private forestry consultants have joined forces to teach Iowans how to grow the poplars.

"There are lots of reasons trees are a good crop for Iowa," said J. Michael Kelly, head of the natural resource ecology and management department. "Iowa needs alternative crops. Trees are environmentally friendly and provide important wildlife habitat. They can be grown on land that's less productive for traditional crops. And there's an industry in the state that can use the products."

Iowa State University is good for business.