The Impact of Nanotechnology on Sustainable Forest Productivity, 2006 International Conference on Nanotechnology
The United States forest industry can improve its global competitiveness and future viability through advancements in sustainable forest productivity. A major reason for this is that wood is the largest cost in producing pulp, paper and building products. It is only though advances in forest technology that reductions in wood production costs can be achieved while also achieving greater wood yields. Current research focus areas for the Agenda 2020 Sustainable Forest Productivity Roadmap are: 1) biotechnology and tree improvement, 2) wood quality, 3) forest management, and 4) ecological functions and ecological services of managed forests. It is important that the forest industry invest capitalize on the advantages that nanotechnology applications can provide towards improved sustainability, improved productivity and the creation of higher value products.