Research - Hardwood Products Innovations

Assist wood products manufacturers and consumers in gaining the greatest benefit from responsible use of wood by developing new knowledge to reduce raw material costs, improve processing technologies, and encourage innovation in product development, thus integrating industrial competitiveness with natural resource conservation through science and engineering.

Faculty:
Dr. Rado Gazo
Application of operations research techniques to secondary wood products industries

Dr. Eva Haviarova
Strength design and product engineering of furniture, emerging furniture design challenges especially with reduced environmental impact

Areas of Specialization:

  • Advanced wood products manufacturing
  • Wood products business development
  • Environmental performance of wood products, furniture design and construction

Learn More About Our Research

The Wood Research laboratory addresses timely research and technology transfer topics in the areas of product and process engineering of wood based products; wood composites; and the use, reuse and care of wood in historic preservation and restoration.

Take a tour of the Hardwoods of the Central Midwest and find descriptions and images of each species of wood along with grad, history, color and strength.

View our nine research areas along with our world-class faculty.

Purdue centers seek to support and enhance the research and partnership enterprise at Purdue University. The centers are valued and encouraged at Purdue as they create a venue for faculty to come together to pursue common goals. Forestry and Natural Resources have faculty and staff involved in six centers here at the University.

The Department of Forestry and Natural Resources maintains an impressive collection of state-of-the-art research and education facilities. These labs, green houses, and educational facilities are a fundamental component that enables our faculty and students to learn, make new discoveries, and engage our clients in using these discoveries to sustain our nation’s ecosystems and natural resources.​

The mission of the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources is to develop and disseminate knowledge in the natural resource sciences associated with the protection, management, and sustainable use of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. One way the department accomplishes our mission is by owning and managing 24 properties located throughout the state to provide opportunities for research, extension, and education that achieves sustainable use of our natural resources.

See Our Hardwood Production Innovation Research Stories

Awardees of the TEAMS Award Pictured in Pfendler
The Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment, a 100-year study, receives the Purdue Agriculture 2023 TEAM Award

The Purdue Agriculture TEAM Award has honored an interdisciplinary team annually since 1995,...

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The walnut plantation at Martell Forest.
Detection & Prediction: How technology is fighting a future of tree diseases and invasive insects

The black walnut tree (Juglans nigra), prized for its rich, dark color in hardwood furniture and...

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Dr. Eva Haviarova tests a chair's strength with the help of graduate student Ting-Ho Tsai
Researchers Aim to Introduce Sustainable Wood School Furniture to U.S. Market

Drs. Eva Haviarova and Henry Quesada aim to introduce more sustainable school furniture to the...

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A weather station at Martell Forest, an American marten, alumna Zoe Alameida, a long-tailed salamander
FNR Year in Review 2022: The Research and Outreach

In this segment of the FNR 2022 Year in Review, we take a look at the research advances,...

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Francis Asare, December 2022 master's degree graduate
FNR Graduate Student Spotlight: Francis Asare

Francis Asare, who will receive his master's degree this December, left Ghana in January...

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Dr. Dan Cassens with student workers in a sleigh at Cassens Trees; Dan and wife Vicki at the statehouse with Governor Mike Pence; student workers in Cassens Tree Shop
Cassens Trees Provides Learning Ground for FNR Student Workers

Dr. Dan Cassens, a professor emeritus in the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources...

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