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From the resource...
To the supply...
The proposed research takes a holistic view of the process of manufacturing lumber products ranging from the changing resource R (the forests) to the changing supply S of forest products.
The approach is to view the process as a complex dynamic stochastic system, within an engineering context where design standards must be maintained. Eleven specific projects are outlined. They are organized within four main research themes.
A byproduct of the work will be the creation of a regional team of statistical experts knowledgeable about problems confronted in the forest products industry. That group will be expanded to the National level as the project progresses. Achieving this objective will involve: engaging in collaborative research, including the specific projects described below; meeting regularly with their counterparts in industry; organizing sessions at conferences; providing short courses for industry or other FPInnovations CRD supported subject area groups; developing suitable graduate courses or cyber-courses in the area of the proposed research. (Statistics at UBC already provides an undergraduate course on statistical process control that has sometimes been taken by Wood Science students, as in 2009/10 according to current plans.)
Another byproduct will be an enhancement of the graduate programs of participating institutions. Their graduates will be statistical scientists trained in the forest products research but with skills transferable to other Canadian industries as well.
Finally, the proposed research will lead to new theory in statistical science for potential application in other areas.