Norway spruce tested at UMaine earns construction grade, media report
The Portland Press Herald, Maine Public, Mainebiz, Bangor Daily News, WABI (Channel 5), WLBZ (Channel 2), WVII (Channel 7) and LBM Journal reported Norway spruce, a wood species extensively tested at the Advanced Structures and Composites Center at the University of Maine, has been approved for use as construction-grade dimensional lumber. The American Lumber Standards Committee approved the inclusion of Norway spruce in the Spruce-Pine-Fir South grouping of wood species for home construction and industrial applications. It is the first new species to be added to the list of approved lumber in about 80 years, the Press Herald reported. “This is great news for Maine loggers,” Dana Doran, executive director of the Professional Logging Contractors of Maine, told the paper. “This will open new markets for (Norway spruce) not normally available to us.” Stephen Shaler, associate director of the UMaine Composites Center and director of the School of Forest Resources, said students, staff and faculty benefited from the strong collaboration with the forest products industry for this research. The Associated Press also reported on the story, citing the Press Herald. The Washington Times and The Daily Progress of Charlottesville, Virginia carried the AP report.