Download ANR Specialist Position-Forest Products CNR 5-13

ANR CE Specialist in Forest Products and Woody Biomass
Position Description: The general disciplinary focus of this position is the sustainable use of
forest and wood resources. Priority issues include life-cycle assessments and carbon cycles of
forest products (including wood-based bioenergy), efficiency and conservation in forest products
and bioenergy technology, and the impacts of utilization on community development, economic,
and environmental concerns. The CE Specialist in Forest Products and Biomass will develop
methods for efficient and environmentally acceptable utilization of wood resources and woody
biomass and analyze the impacts of forest management practices and utilization on the ability of
the state to meet its greenhouse gas emission goals. A Ph.D. with a knowledge in forest
resources, wood properties, bioenergy, carbon cycles, climate change, and forest product
manufacturing and bioenergy technology is required.
The issues addressed by this position are of importance in every county that has a forest base,
an existing or potential wood manufacturing industry, or an interest in biomass (including urban
woody waste) and bioenergy; that is, every county in the state. The client base for this position
includes public and private forestland owners and managers, county-based Cooperative
Extension personnel, energy and forest product companies, as well as public agencies involved
in climate change policy development, waste management and forestry issues. Interest in this
position is from the following University of California units: UC Berkeley Department of
Environmental Sciences and Policy Management, UC Davis Biological and Agricultural
Engineering, California Biomass Collaborative, UC Center for Forestry, the UC Center for Fire
Research and Outreach, the UC Davis Energy Institute, and the UC Berkeley Energy Bioscience
Institute. In addition, the need for this position is recognized and supported by many of the ANR
County based CE Advisors, especially those with a notable economic forest base.
Justification: California manages one of the nation’s largest forest resources, is a leading
manufacturer of lumber and wood products, and is the leading consumer of wood-based products
in the US. The dense urban population centers and agricultural industries in California also
produce vast quantities of woody biomass residues, an underutilized energy and economic
resource with important climate change implications.
This specialist position fills a critical need and provides an opportunity for UCANR
leadership and collaboration with many universities and public agencies in the globally important
issues related to sustainable manufacturing of products from a renewable resource that has a
competitive greenhouse gas advantage over fossil fuel-based products. In addition, it addresses
the impact of densely packed stands of small diameter trees, drought-stressed and beetle-killed
trees, chaparral, and other forms of non-commercial woody biomass common in much of
California's timberlands and the wildland/urban interface, that often accumulate to hazardous
levels resulting in catastrophic wildfires. This CE Specialist position will provide valuable
support, information, analysis, and leadership to the CE Advisors, landowners, land managers,
community leaders, planners and policy developers involved with maintaining a healthy forest
products economy, managing the wildfire risk, and providing economic and operational guidance
for forest-based communities. The position provides capacity to help develop strategies to grow
productive forest and biomass-based communities, design intelligent waste management
systems, and build a sustainable bio-based product and renewable energy industry relevant to
much of the state. Expertise in wood properties, feedstock supply chains, and the forest products
industry provided by this specialist will also support the advanced research in conversion of
biomass resources to energy and fuel underway at UC Berkeley’s Energy Biosciences Institute
(EBI) and the Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI).
The following external groups provided feedback to the position description and justification
and are organizations that expressed interest in collaboration with the new CE Specialist: The
USDA Forest Service Region 5, Cal Fire (California Department of Forestry and Fire
Protection), Sierra Nevada Conservancy, the Forest Products Society – Pacific Southwest
Section, California Forestry Association, Energy Biosciences Institute, and the California
Biomass Collaborative.
Extension: Extension activities expected of this position include the continuation of the
successful outreach efforts of the existing forest product and woody biomass program started by
the two retired (ing) CE advisors which include the following.
 Assist and collaborate with county-based extension advisors, especially those involved
with natural resources related community and economic development, and public policy.
Relevant topics include evaluation of local resources and feedstocks, appropriate
technology, utilization of woody material from insect and disease outbreaks.
 Develop, implement, and facilitate statewide conferences and regional workshops
 Participate in regional planning and economic development activities providing expertise
in integrating bioenergy into manufacturing and value added processing.
 Provide leadership on statewide committees and workgroups involved with biomass and
bioenergy issues, including the California Biomass Collaborative, the Biomass Working
Group, and the Statewide Wood Energy Team.
 Expand on innovative extension delivery through the ANR websites and social media,
factsheets, maps, interactive analysis tools, and ANR publications.
 Collaborate with AES and other UC faculty involved with bioenergy
 Increase the knowledge base through collaboration with the major public, private
industrial, and private non-industrial landowners of California.
 Provide expertise to policy-makers and legislators on forest products and bioenergy.
Research: Opportunities abound for applied research for this position. In the forest products
area, important research topics include evaluation and clarification of climate benefits of using
manufactured wood products instead of non-renewable, fossil fuel intensive products such as
concrete and steel; evaluation of physical properties and utilization opportunities of underutilized wood resources; and, economic impacts of technology and policy changes on the forest
products industry. In the bioenergy area important research topics include product life cycles,
resource availability, greenhouse gas benefits, public benefits of using woody biomass, and
economic issues related to sustainable biofuel production from wood. Substantial opportunity
exists for applied research supporting the innovations in microbial technology at UC Berkeley’s
Joint BioEnergy Institute and the Energy Biosciences Institute. The CE Specialist position will
also have the opportunity to develop a research program that addresses cross-cutting issues
related to the expansion in production of bio-based products (fuels, materials) including land use
change, supply-chain logistics and feedstock economics, and life-cycle emission inventories and
developing waste/residue utilization and climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies.
ANR Continuum: Collaboration opportunities for this Specialist include the AES faculty of the
UC Berkeley College of Natural Resources and the Dept. of Environmental Science, Policy and
Management, the AES faculty of the UC Davis Dept. of Biological & Ag. Engineering and Dept.
of Plant Sciences, and the Natural Resource Advisors in counties with important forest-based
economies, high wildfire risk, or with wood or biomass processing facilities. For example, within
the past 6 years the ANR Woody Biomass Program (led by retiring Advisor Shelly) collaborated
with County Advisors in 18 different counties to present 46 workshops reaching more than 2000
interested people and helping 18 small businesses, entrepreneurs, and non-profit community
groups to secure more than $5 million in federal grants to help develop woody biomass and
bioenergy enterprises. Heavily forested counties such as Humboldt, Shasta, Siskiyou and
Tuolumne have been recipients of multiple workshops and expertise from the group.
With the 2004 closure of the UC Forest Products Laboratory, the retirement of UCANR
Advisor Steve Quarles, and the pending 2014 retirement of UCANR Advisor John Shelly there is
a critical gap in cooperative extension expertise in wood products and woody biomass utilization.
The above two advisors developed and managed a well-respected, and nationally recognized,
statewide program in wood products/woody biomass that successfully acquired more than $2.5
Million in external funds over the past 10 years to support research and outreach activities. The
program has seen a growing interest in biomass utilization and is well positioned to leverage
support in a range of utilization opportunities. Two of the strongest supporters of the program,
the USDA Forest Service and Cal Fire (California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection),
are committed to supporting a UCANR Specialist position.
Support: Existing grant agreements between the USDA Forest Service – Region 5 and UC
Berkeley (PI John Shelly) have 2 years of academic staff funding currently used for an Academic
Coordinator position that could be dedicated to the first two years of the CE Specialist position
described here. Office space, administrative support, office supplies, internet and telephone
access will be provided by the UC Berkeley College of Natural Resources, Department of
Environmental Science, Policy, and Management (ESPM) consistent with that provided to other
faculty. Funding for research and program travel will be sourced from a variety of agencies that
grant funds for forest product, biomass and bioenergy projects, as listed below.
Other support: The organizations that have funded the Forest Products and Biomass program
are expected to continue. In addition the following organizations have provided input to and
support this proposal: the USDA Forest Service, Cal Fire, California Energy Commission,
California EPA Secretary for Climate and Policy, and the California Resources Agency
Secretariat for Energy and Climate Change. Additional opportunities for financial support are
through grants from the US Department of Energy, USDA National Institute of Food and
Agriculture, and Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer.
Location: UC Berkeley ESPM is a strong home for this position. UC Berkeley has a critical
mass of faculty with expertise in forestry, forest products, biomass, and bioenergy issues.
Locating the position within The College of Natural Resources faculty is also complemented by
collaborative opportunities between CNR faculty and the internationally recognized bioenergy
research at the Energy Biosciences Institute, and the Lawrence Berkeley, Lawrence Livermore,
and Sandia National Laboratories.