WASHINGTON, D.C.—A team of USDA Forest Service specialists recently returned from Peru where they provided technical support to Peru’s Centers for Productive Innovation and Technology Transfer, universities and the private sector on wood structural design, durability, preservation and technological innovation.

During the visit, specialists discussed protocols for preserving softwood: for example, minimizing damage from fungi and insects during transport. They also shared the latest global trends in wood utilization.

Forest Service specialists also met with university students and faculty at La Molina National Agrarian University and the National University of Ucayali to examine the importance of applied research, connecting teaching, research and extension.

The team of experts included Brian Brashaw, assistant director of the Forest Service Wood Innovations Program; Andy Martin, assistant director of the Forest Products Laboratory; Larry Swan, former Forest Service program leader of the Pacific Southwest Region's Wood and Biomass Utilization Program; and Jeffrey Morrell, wood preservation specialist with over 40 years of experience.

Peru’s Centers for Productive Innovation and Technology Transfer provides extension services in research, technology and training to enhance wood product quality and competitiveness and to sustain Peruvian livelihoods and forest preservation.

The U.S. Agency for International Development FOREST+ program, implemented by International Programs, prioritizes technical assistance to government agencies like the CITE network to promote multiple-use forest management in the Amazon regions of Loreto, Ucayali and Madre de Dios. This includes exploring lesser-used timber species, wood's role in construction, and domestic and international market trends.

Forest Service specialists will continue to collaborate with the CITE network in methodologies for testing properties of different timber species for construction and identifying best practices to improve the competitiveness of wood products for domestic and international trade.

The five-year USAID FOREST+ program leverages the expertise of the Forest Service to promote forest-related climate change mitigation and sustainable forest management in the Amazon regions of Peru. It helps Peruvian forestry and environmental authorities build a shared vision for multi-use forest management and fulfill its Nationally Determined Commitments to mitigate climate change.