Wood Innovations (Wood Products Markets, Wood Energy, Community Wood Energy and Wood Innovations Program, and Wood Education and Resource Center)

2005-DG-11420004-213

Complete

Wood Education and Resource Center (WERC)

Appalachian Center for Economic Networks
Business Innovation
94 Columbus Rd
Athens, OH 45701
740-592-3854

Expanding Markets for Appalachian Forests will develop a compelling regional brand and use it as part of an innovative web-based marketing site for products made from regional woods. The site will gain traffic from intensive marketing among supporters of regional products in urban areas and through integration with tourism experiences and activities. Because these efforts will dramatically increase business sales, the Project will provide assistance to wood products businesses enabling them to improve competitiveness while they expand and create additional wood industry jobs. The result will be greatly expanded markets for timber harvested in Appalachian Ohio, including unusual woods often considered cull woods. The project will offer workshops at the WERC for wood firms and for forest communities interested in developing regional brands and websites, and in providing expansion assistance to wood firms.

1. Research and disseminate information about market trend and market opportunities to wood products firms and projects in other WERC communities. 2. Provide marketing and business information and technology to expansion-oriented wood products entrepreneurs to increase comptetiveness. 3. Construct and implement a marketing plan that is based on a regional brand, capitalizes on the use of technology and results in increased sales for regional businesses. 4. Measure the impact of the initiative of wood products businesses.

Appalachian region, Ohio, markets, entrepreneurs, expanding markets, economic competitiveness, technical assistance

US Forest Service Grant	$ 63,516
Cooperative Funding	$ 63,516
Total	$ 127,032

Expanding Markets for Appalachian Forests developed a regional brand and used it as part of an innovative web-based marketing site for products made from regional woods. The Project provided business and marketing assistance to wood products companies enabling them to improve competitiveness while they expand and create additional wood industry jobs.  Workshops were under development for wood firms and for forest communities interested in developing regional brands and websites, and to address other issues of interest to participating companies.

For detailed results of this project, please see the references below.

• Expanding Markets for Appalachian Forests: A Wood Sector Initiative
  (WERC-2005-DG-11420004-213_1.pdf , 3.3 MB , 9 pages )

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