114th Annual Meeting

April 22-24, 2018 at the Seattle Marriott Waterfront in Seattle, Washington USA

Join us in Seattle, Washington for what promises to be excellent technical and social programs. Come early for breathtaking views of Elliott Bay and, on clear days, Mount Rainier. Or stay after the meeting and spend time in Pike Place Market or the Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum. Opportunities abound to find adventure in the Pacific Northwest.

AWPA Meeting Registration
Register to attend the meeting by March 15 for early registration discounts, or pre-register before April 5. On-site will be available, but at higher rates, and only if space is available.

Early Registration: Until March 15, 2018 (Members $575, Non-members $775)
Pre-Registration: March 16-April 5, 2018 (Members $625, Non-members $825)
On-site registration: April 21-24, 2018 (Members $675, Non-members $875)

Getting to Seattle
Seattle is served by Sea-Tac International Airport (SEA) with over 30 commercial airlines providing hundreds of flights per day. Rental cars, taxicabs, light rail, and other ground transportation options are available at the airport.

Hotel Reservations
The meeting will take place at the Seattle Marriott Waterfront Hotel, located at 2100 Alaskan Way in Seattle. The deadline for hotel reservations at the group rate was March 29, 2018, but you may contact the reservations department to determine availability. From the USA and Canada, call 888-236-2427. From all other countries, click here to find the number to call from your country. 

Spouse/Guest Registration
Each person accompanying a registered attendee such as a spouse or any guests must be registered to attend the receptions, as a badge is required for entry to all AWPA events.

The 114th Annual Meeting kicks off with the President's reception. Connect with friends or make new ones while enjoying outstanding Pacific Northwest hors d'oeuvres and beverages.

On Monday, guests selecting the "tour and lunch option" will have the unforgettable experience of touring the Future of Flight museum and the Boeing factory in Everett, WA. This is one of Seattle’s most loved attractions. You’ll have a one-of-a-kind opportunity to view 747, 777, and 787 Dreamliners being assembled. Explore the newest developments in aviation and aerospace at the Future of Flight Museum. Don’t forget to visit the Strato Deck where you can view a completed aircraft on the flight line before they head to final delivery.

After the tour, we'll dine at the world-famous Ivar's Seafood Bar in Mukilteo where we can dine on some local seafood while watching the ferries come and go! Ivar Haglund, the "Patriarch" of the waterfront, started selling red clam chowder and fish 'n chips to patrons of his waterfront aquarium in 1938. His menu has expanded to include many seafood varieties from the Pacific Northwest. Today, he is remembered as "the person who best exemplified Seattle" and his quip "Keep Clam" lives on. NOTE: The tour and lunch are limited to 52 guests, so be sure to register early and select the option for the tour and lunch if you wish to take part in this excursion.

A come-and-go Breakfast will be available in the hotel on Tuesday for registered spouses and guests. As always, we look forward to seeing you at the closing reception and awards presentation on Tuesday night.

The 2018 Hacker's Classic Moves to The Golf Club at Echo Falls
We are very pleased to announce that The Golf Club at Echo Falls in Snohomish, Washington, has been selected to host the AWPA 2018 Hacker's Classic Golf Tournament. The Tournament will be held in the morning on Sunday, April 22, 2018 just before the start of the AWPA 2018 Annual Meeting in Seattle, WA. Echo Falls is part of the Oki Golf Collection, specializing in unique golf properties, run by knowledgeable professionals, offering the ultimate in golf experience. Even though the course at the Golf Club at Echo Falls is under 6000 yards for men, and a par 70, you will need every club in your bag to play good “course management”.

Dog-legs, dramatic elevation changes and challenging par 3’s provide for championship golf combined with outstanding Northwest scenery. Echo Falls offers a very friendly ladies tee placement. The course ends with a magnificent par-3 island green framed by cascading waterfalls and the majestic Tudor clubhouse. Don’t forget to sign-up for the Hacker's Classic when you register for the AWPA Annual Meeting.

The Hacker's Classic will feature a scramble format, shot-gun start, with prize events on all 18 holes. Lunch is included. 

Pickler's Prance 5K Fun Run/Walk
The 2018 Pickler’s Prance 5K Fun Run/Walk will treat you to a tour of Seattle's Waterfront District in the morning of Sunday, April 22. 

Suppliers Showcase
The Suppliers Showcase is a great way to make potential customers aware of your products and services at a very reasonable price. The Suppliers Showcase is normally held in conjunction with coffee breaks for a more comfortable, inviting interaction with potential sales contacts. We intentionally limit the number of spaces to maximize your opportunities to meet the people who need your products and/or services. So if you are interested, please be sure to inquire soon. Please note that registration includes full meeting registration for one person, member or non-member. 

Current Suppliers include:

American Wood Technology, LLC
Applied Rigaku Technologies, Inc.
EcoChemical
Hitachi High-Tech Analytical Science
MidSouth Design, Inc.
Polesocks, LLC

Things to See and Do in SeattleThe Seattle Localist website is a wealth of information on all things Seattle ... visit their site now to begin planning your trip:

114th Annual Meeting Schedule of Events
Meeting General Chair: Jeff Morrell

General Vice Chair: Grant Kirker

Program Chair: Kim Merritt

Saturday, April 21, 2018

1:00 pm to 5:00 pm - Registration Desk Open

1:00 pm to 5:00 pm - Executive Committee Meeting

Sunday, April 22, 2018

8:00 am - Golfers meet at The Golf Club at Echo Falls in Snohomish, WA, for the 2018 Hacker's Classic

8:00 am - Pickler's Prance 5k Fun Run/Walk

12:00 noon to 5:00 pm - Registration Desk Open

1:00 pm to 5:00 pm - Suppliers' Showcase Setup

12:00 noon to 5:00 pm - Task Group Meetings, Track 1

12:00 noon to 1:00 pm - Oregon State University Aquatics Co-op

3:00 pm to 4:00 pm - P-5 Precision & Bias Statement Task Group

4:00 pm to 5:00 pm - T-7 Residential Products Quality Control Task Group

1:00 pm to 5:00 pm - Task Group Meetings, Track 2

1:00 pm to 1:45 pm - T-2 Review of UC4B vs. UC4A Specifications Based on End Use Task Group

1:45 pm to 2:30 pm - T-7 M1/M2/M3/M25 Review & Revision Task Group

2:30 pm to 4:00 pm - T-2/T-7 Joint Task Group on Penetration

4:00 pm to 5:00 pm - P-6 Minimum Retention Task Group

1:00 pm to 3:00 pm - Railway Tie Association R&D Meeting

3:30 pm to 6:00 pm - Treated Wood Council Government Affairs Meeting (for TWC members only)

6:00 pm to 7:30 pm - President's Reception

Monday, April 23, 2018

8:00 am to 5:00 pm - Registration Desk Open

8:00 am to 5:00 pm - Suppliers' Showcase

8:00 am to 9:45 am - Opening Session

• Welcome, and recognition of sponsors and guests
• Keynote Speaker: Dr. Paul Hessberg, Research Landscape Ecologist from the USDA Foreest Service Pacific Northwest Region Station, will present "The Era of Megafires" and explain why wildfires have gotten worse
• Award of Merit Presentation to Randy Baileys
• General Committee Reports
• Vice President's Address
• President's Address

8:45 am to 3:30 pm - Optional Spouse/Guest Tour. Meet in the main lobby of the Marriott Seattle Waterfront Hotel to board the bus waiting on Alaskan Way.

9:45 am to 10:00 am - Business Session

10:00 am to 10:15 am - Break

10:15 am to 12:30 pm - Technical Session 1: Student Research Presentations. (click here for abstracts)

Session Coordinator: Kevin Archer, Viance

• Nano-chitosan Particles as Wood Preservatives. Laya KhademiBami, Mississippi State University
• Effect of β-cyclodextrins/allyl Isothiocyanate Complexes on the Fungi Resistance of Southern Pine. Lili Cai, Mississippi State University
• Performance of Clear Coatings on Pine Modified with Low Molecular Weight PF Resin. Joseph Doh-Wook Kim, University of British Columbia
• Developing a Bio-based Wood Composite Using Refined Cottonseed Protein Adhesive. Julianna Stratton, Mississippi State University
• Effect of Chitosan on Diversity and Number of Protists on Subterranean Termites. Telmah Telmadarrehei, Mississippi State University
• Effect of Seasoning Practices on Fungal Colonization of Railroad Ties. Leon Rogers, Oregon State University
• Study on Recycling of Creosote-treated Red Oak for Wood Preservation. Lucy Wang, Michigan Technological University

12:30 pm to 2:00 pm - Lunch (on your own)

2:00 pm to 5:00 pm - Technical Session 2: Colley/Hartford Memorial Research Symposium. (Click here for abstracts)
Session Coordinators: Carl Morrow, Jeld-Wen, and Rod Stirling, FPInnovations

• Transferring Innovations in the Treated Wood Industries to Successful Process Implementation and Product Optimization. Timothy Young*, University of Tennessee, and Patti Lebow and Stan Lebow, USDA Forest Service Forest Products Laboratory
• Mold Growth on Wood Surfaces Treated with Oils Derived from Plant or Petroleum Sources. Shyamal Ghosh* and Philip Evans, University of British Columbia
• Dysbiosis - A Potential Novel Strategy for Control of Subterranean Termites. Juliet D. Tang*, USDA Forest Service Forest Products Laboratory, and Olan Raji, Daniel G. Peterson, and Dragica Jeremic-Nikolic, Mississippi State University
• Treatments to Enhance the Resistance of Western Red Cedar to Formosan Subterranean Termites. Rod Stirling*, FPInnovations, and Glenn Larkin and Peter Laks, Michigan Technological University
• Antimicrobial Activity of Organic Wood Preservatives Against Biodeterioration Fungi: Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) via Spiral Gradient Endpoint (SGE) test. Min Chen* and Rajinder Mudhar, Troy Corporation
• Indicating Penetration of Non-Aqueous Solvent with a Surrogate Agent: Hydrophobic Boron Containing Compound. Min Chen*, Geoff Webb, and Gabrielle Waterman, Troy Corporation
• Effects of BMP's on Leaching Losses. Matt Konkler* and Jeff Morrell, Oregon State University
• Copper Tolerance: the Organisms Present in Tolerant and Sensitive Soils. Jed Cappellazzi* and Jeff Morrell, Oregon State University
• Development of a 3-foot Laboratory Burning Tunnel Test for Fire Retardant Wood and Wood Composites. Xing Yang* and Kevin Archer, Viance
• Ongoing Field Evaluation of Douglas-fir Cross Laminated Timber in an Above Ground Protected Test in Mississippi. Mark Mankowski* and Grant Kirker, USDA Forest Products Laboratory, Jeff Morrell, Oregon State University, and T.G. Shelton
• Geoclimatic Variation in Durability of Pressure Treated Solid and Engineered Wood: A Search for Causality. Mark Mankowski*, Grant Kirker, and Stan Lebow, USDA Forest Products Laboratory
• ISO 17025 Labs: A Brief Review of Testing, AWPA Guidance Appendices, and Certification. Jay Curole and Qinglin Wu*, Louisiana State University, and Mike Freeman, Consultant

Tuesday, April 24, 2018

8:00 am to 4:00 pm - Registration Desk Open

8:00 am to 3:00 pm - Suppliers' Showcase

8:00 am to 10:30 am - Technical Session 3: Electric and Telecommunications Utility Issues (Click here for abstracts)
Session Coordinator: Bill Kazakoff, BC Hydro

• Fire Retardants on Poles. Tim Carey, Lonza Wood Protection
• Review of Treated Wood Disposal Practices. Jeff Morrell, Oregon State University
• AWPA Carrier Oils: Investigation and Review of Their Contribution to Preservative Performance. Mike Freeman, Consultant
• Pole Recycling. David Lynch, Enerkem
• DCOI: An Oilborne Preservative System for Pressure Treatment of Poles, Posts, and Sawn Crossarms. Kevin Archer* and Andrew Zahora, Viance

10:30 am to 10:45 am - Break

10:45 am to 12:00 noon - Technical Session 4: Wood Protection and the Environment (Click here for abstracts)
Session Coordinator: Avtar Sidhu, Lonza Wood Protection

• Stormwater in Production Areas: Understanding the Risks of Chemical Benchmarks Becoming Regulatory Standards. Maureen Hodson and Bruce Martin, EHS Support, LLC
• EPA Overview and Updates on Regulation of Wood Preservatives. Jacqueline Hardy, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

12:00 noon to 1:30 pm - Lunch (on your own)

1:30 pm to 3:00 pm - Technical Session 5: Recent Developments in Wood Preservation (Click here for abstracts)
Session Coordinator: Stacey McKinney, Koppers Inc.

• Performance of KDS, mKDS, MCA, and ACQ in Ground Proximity and Ground Contact Decay Tests Under Tropical Conditions. Min Chen* and Sam Pezzi, Troy Corporation
• Harnessing the Power of Genomics to Create Better Wood Preservatives. Angela Dale*, Stacey Kus, and Rod Stirling, FPInnovations.
• Development of a New External Groundline Preservation Paste System. Tom Woods* and Randy Gross, Poles, Inc.
• A New Copper Fixation Process. Dan Brimhall*, Neal Blossom, Craig McIntyre, and Mike Freeman

3:00 pm to 3:15 pm - Break

3:15 pm to 4:30 pm - Technical Session 6: General Topics (Click here for abstracts)
Session Coordinator: Grant Kirker, USDA Forest Products Laboratory

• Evaluation of Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) Resistance to Termite Attack. Tamara Franca* and C. Elizabeth Stokes, Mississippi State University, and Juliet D. Tang, USDA Forest Service Forest Products Laboratory
• Above and Below Ground Performance of Naturally Durable Woods in Wisconsin: 8-year data. Grant Kirker and Amy Bishell, USDA Forest Service Forest Products Laboratory, Wood Durability and Protection
• Quality Control Assessments for Inspection and/or Remedial Treatment Programs. Tom Pope, Osmose Utilities Services, Inc.

6:00 pm to 7:30 pm - Closing Reception and Awards Presentation

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

8:30 am to 11:30 am - WORKSHOP: Process Analytics, Statistical Process Control, and Lean Methods for the Treated Wood Processing Industries. All attendees will recieve a training manual and 1.0 CEU credit from the University of Tennessee.

The fee to attend this workshop is $75 for early registration (by March 15) or $100 for pre-registration (March 16-April 5) Space is limited and on-site registration may not be available. If we are able to accommodate you, the on-site registration fee will be $150 for the workshop.

The Workshop will be presented by Dr. Tim Young of the University of Tennessee. Patti Lebow and Stan Lebow of the USDA Forest Products Laboratory are cooperators. Course contents include:

Popularity of 'Analytics in U.S. Manufacturing to Seek Competitive Advantage'

Why use 'Analytics and Statistics' for treating lumber and poles

The benefits of reducing variation as related to operational targets

Statistical Process Control (SPC) - An Introduction

Lean Methods - An Introduction

Sustaining the 'Improvement Effort' - Case Study Examples