Published:
WoodStraw from Forest Concepts Added to Oregon DOT's Qualified Products List
AUBURN, Wash. (EWORLDWIRE) Jan 8, 2008
Forest Concepts LLC of Auburn, Washington, today announced the receipt of an official letter from the State of Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) stating that it has evaluated and accepted WoodStraw(TM) wood-strand erosion control material for use as a temporary mulch and added it to the Qualified Products List (QPL). WoodStraw can now be specified as an acceptable erosion control material for ODOT projects in the State of Oregon and in all jurisdictions where the ODOT QPL list is recognized.
According to Don Kliewer, president of Kliewer Engineering & Associates in Bend, Oregon, he has watched the development of WoodStraw closely over the past few years and, in fact, began experimenting with the material in 2005. Kliewer recently talked with Forest Concepts CEO Mike Perry and stated, "WoodStraw erosion control material is very attractive for Central Oregon since it is long-lasting and wind resistant. Both of those properties are very important in our high desert conditions."
In early 2006, WoodStraw was approved for use by the State of Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and by the Washington Department of Ecology in July, 2007. Since WoodStraw's acceptance in Washington, it has been used for erosion control in projects in Pierce County, on the third runway at Seatac Airport, by King County DOT on the Mt. Si bridge project in North Bend, as well as in several WSDOT projects. Other WoodStraw application projects include several sensitive areas of South Lake Tahoe and Southern California following serious wildland fires. In February, 2007, WoodStraw was used by the Bureau of Land Management in the Pilot Peak Range of Northwest Utah for erosion control on a severely burned area to protect the habitat of the threatened and endangered Lahontan Cutthroat Trout.
Since its introduction in 2005, more than 2,600 tons of WoodStraw material has been applied for erosion control in seven western states. Prior to this approval by ODOT, the largest uses in Oregon have been by the USDA Forest Service and the DOI Bureau of Land Management for post-wildfire emergency response and road improvement projects.
WoodStraw is available exclusively from Forest Concepts LLC.
About WoodStraw
Funded by the USDA, the development of WoodStraw is the result of a collaborative effort with the U.S. Forest Service Research Laboratory in Moscow, Idaho. WoodStraw is a patented, engineered, wood strand erosion control material manufactured from low grade scrap veneer, primarily Douglas fir, by Forest Concepts LLC in Auburn, Washington. WoodStraw was designed and engineered to meet the very rigorous needs of erosion control with unique benefits such as being 100 percent weed-free, resistant to high winds, long-lasting with three or more years of functional life, very effective in preventing erosion and promoting revegetation, and, in addition, the animals will not eat it. WoodStraw can be seeded under or over for effective revegetation.
About Forest Concepts LLC
Established in 1998, privately-held Forest Concepts LLC is a forest products company with a new way of thinking about the industry and markets for wood-based materials. Forest Concepts and its co-founder Jim Dooley are nationally recognized leaders in the commercialization of new uses for smallwood and biomass that is available as a co-product of forest management and wildfire protection. The company develops and manufactures erosion control such as WoodStraw, specialized smallwood structures and related materials for habitat enhancement, threatened and endangered species protection, environmental restoration, green building, and landscape markets.
Digital photographs of WoodStraw use on projects in Oregon are available on request.
CONTACT:
Forest Concepts, L.L.C.
Michael C. Perry, CEO
Investor and Media Relations
253.333.9663
mperry@forestconcepts.com
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements related to Forest Concepts products and its other research and development programs. These forward-looking statements are based upon Forest Concepts current expectations. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Forest Concepts actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements as a result of these risks and uncertainties. The public should not place undue reliance on these forward looking statements, which apply only as of the date of the press release. Forest Concepts expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in its expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statements are based.
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Mr. Michael Perry
CEO
Forest Concepts, LLC
Auburn, WA, 98001
USA
253.333.9663 (phone)
253.833.2639 (fax)
mcp0917@msn.com
www.forestconcepts.com
Tags: erosion control, environemental, ecological, forest, wood products, woodstraw, erosion, weed-free, QPL,WA,USA,