Stevens Point researchers study new ways to use northern hardwood after 2020 mill closure

When the Wisconsin Rapids mill closed in 2020, it left a void in Wisconsin's forest products industry. Loggers struggled after suddenly losing such a major consumer of the region's pulpwood.

Now, local researchers are studying different ways that mills could potentially use hardwood timber from northern Wisconsin, according to Paul Fowler, executive director of the Wisconsin Institute for Sustainable Technology at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

"We've got a substantial resource right on our doorstep," Fowler said, that's being "underutilized."

The work is made possible by a $100,000 grant that the Stevens Point university received last year through the federal Wood Innovations Grant Program. Fowler's institute also matched $100,000 in state funds, he said.

Details were finalized earlier this year, and researchers are ready to get started, according to Fowler, who's working on the project with Roland Gong, associate professor of paper science and chemical engineering, and students.

USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin spoke with Fowler earlier this month about the research and what it could mean for local industries.

Quote from Appleton Post-Crescent