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(KNOXVILLE, Tenn.) – Several hundred forest products research, development, and industry professionals are expected to attend the 61st International Convention of the Forest Products Society (FPS). The forest products professionals will discuss topics ranging from wood drying and preservation to recycling and residue utilization and biomass processing. The event runs from Sunday, June 10, through Wednesday, June 13.

Tennessee has a vibrant forest products industry, ranking first in the nation in the production of hardwood flooring and pencils. The state ranks second in the production of hardwood lumber nationally. Wood products industries directly provide more than 73,000 jobs in the state and annual salaries of $2.6 billion.

Event Chair Timothy Young, a researcher with the Forest Products Center at the University of Tennessee, characterized the meeting as an excellent opportunity to showcase Knoxville and the Southern Appalachian region to guests from all over the world.

The FPS Convention focuses on the latest in wood products research and business developments. Several speakers from UT are counted among the presenters. Featured speakers for the meeting include Curt Stevens, chief financial officer of Nashville-based Louisiana-Pacific Corporation, and Miles Drake, Ph.D., executive vice president for research and development for Weyerhaeuser Company.

The Forest Products Society is an international not-for-profit technical association founded in 1947 to provide an information network for all segments of the forest products industry — from standing tree to finished product. FPS fosters innovation and research in the environmentally sound processing and use of wood and fiber resources by disseminating information and providing forums for networking and the exchange of knowledge.

Some 3,000 FPS members represent public and private research, development, industrial management, production, marketing, education, engineering, sales, supply, and consulting interests.

Visit the Forest Products Society website at http://www.forestprod.org/ for more information.

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Contact: Sam Jackson, Tennessee Forest Products Center, (865) 946-1124