The Academy Lecture

Norman P. Kutscha

A Compilation of Micrographs on Wood and Wood Products

The field of Wood Science consists of the study of wood anatomy, wood chemistry and wood mechanics and physics. The author has specialized in the application of wood anatomy to the development of woody tissue and the development of new and improved wood products for the past 44 years. Anyone who has prepared a sample of wood for microscopic examination knows that the process is as much an art as it is a science. Recording what one sees when examining a piece of wood and obtaining the necessary detail or resolution and the proper color rendition is no small task. This presentation consists of illustrating about 60 of the better or more interesting micrographs the author or his co-workers have prepared on wood and wood products. Some have helped solve mill problems or develop new products. The micrographs were prepared while the author was at the New York State College of Environmental Science and Forestry, the U.S. Forest Products Laboratory, the University of Maine and Weyerhaeuser. The 60 micrographs are largely from light microscopy although a few involve electron microscopy. The microscopic technique employed for each micrograph will be described.

The Lecturer

Norman P. Kutscha is a Scientific Advisor Emeritus, Microstructure and Wood Science, former Project Manager - Solid Wood Microscopy, Corporate Technology, Weyerhaeuser Company. He received his B.S. (cum laude) and Ph. D. degrees in Wood Products Engineering from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, New York, and his M.S. from the U.S. Forest Products Laboratory/University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wisconsin. Prior to joining Weyerhaeuser in 1977, Kutscha held research and teaching positions at the U.S. Forest Products Laboratory, the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry and the School of Forest Resources, University of Maine, Orono, Maine. He research interests include the microstructure of wood as it relates to the development of new and improved wood products. He has published 45 scientific publications and written 221 formal, and about 900 informal, company technical reports. Kutscha joined the Forest Products Society (FPS) in 1974. He is the recipient of various FPS student awards, a Wood Award Honorable Mention, the L.J. Markwardt Wood Engineering Award, and the Fred W. Gottschalk Memorial Award. Kutscha served as the Weyerhaeuser Company Representative to the Society and as FPS president (2002-2003). Kutscha has served as chairman of Weyerhaeuser's Council of Scientific and Engineering Advisors. He is a member of the Phi Kappa Phi Academic Honor Society, Xi Sigma Pi Forestry Honor Society, Sigma Xi Research Society, Pacific Northwest Microscopy Society, Microscopy Society of America, Society of Wood Science and Technology, and International Association of Wood Anatomists. He was elected a Fellow in IAWS in 1994.

Presented at the 58th Annual Meeting of the Forest Products Society at Grand Rapids, Michigan, 27 June 2004.