Forest products stochastic modelling group: advanced manufacturing and product development

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Canada has a uniquely diverse forest resource that has provided safe and reliable building products for Canadian and export markets. As the market for building products become more competitive and product performance expectations increase, the ability to apply advanced statistical techniques to model the variability inherent in the full range of bio-based products is a necessary tool for producers and regulators foresee the product and production techniques that are necessary to match the fibre capabilities with the market needs. Taking a holistic view of this dynamic stochastic system, the proposed research program will continue work begun under a five year NSERC Collaborative Research and Development Grant, to develop statistical approaches that will help the Industry deal with these challenges. In particular it will yield: optimal ways of making precautionary surveys of those standards in manufactured products notably lumber; ways of exploiting statistical relationships to cut down the cost of those surveys; new methods of grouping lumber for marketing it; learning the effects of long term stress; and finally improved methods for testing composite materials. Major outcomes of the work will be: continued development of a team of experts who can be called on for statistical advice even after the Program has ended in this area, a cohort of statistical graduates with transferable skills for work in the private as well as public sector; and new statistical theory and knowledge, the result of tackling really difficult problems in this area.