VIRGINIA
TECH AND FORESTERS
INCORPORATED RECEIVES
ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
BLACKSBURG,
Dec. 6, 2002 - Phil
Radtke, assistant
professor in Virginia
Tech's College of
Natural Resources'
forestry department,
and Britt Boucher,
president of Foresters
Incorporated, have
received an outstanding
achievement award
from Virginia's Office
of Science and Technology
for their work related
to global climate
change.
The
office recently recognized
their collaboration
and success in securing
U.S. Department of
Energy's Small Business
Technology Research
(STTR) Phase I funding,
which will enable
the two researchers
to improve ways to
measure carbon stored
in forests of the
Eastern U.S.. Such
measurements are needed
to monitor and offset
the change that is
occurring due to the
burning of fossil
fuels.
Radtke,
co-principal investigator
representing Virginia
Tech, and Boucher,
principal investigator
representing Foresters
Incorporated, have
received $100,000
in STTR funding to
develop and test methods
for measuring canopy
structure and above-ground
biomass with commercially
available 3-D laser
scanners.
A
laser-scanning instrument
will be used to make
3-D measurements in
research forests across
the eastern U.S. Estimates
will be made of a
leaf area index (LAI),
the spacing of the
forests, and the biomass
of leaves, tree trunks
and large branches.
The estimates will
be compared to traditional
measurement methods.
"New
tools and methods
are needed for measuring
carbon stored in forests
more accurately, less
expensively, and faster
than traditional measurement
methods. A commercially
available 3-D laser-scanning
instrument may help,
and provide faster
and more accurate
measurements of above-ground
carbon stored in the
wood and leaves in
the eastern U.S.,"
Radtke said.
STTR
funding is used to
help transfer technology
or research from educational
institutions to the
business sector. Phase
I funding is generally
used for helping to
prove that a particular
technology or research
can be used successfully
by businesses. If
Phase I is successful,
Phase II funding can
be sought that will
help businesses implement
the technology or
research.
Radtke can be contacted
at pradtke@vt.edu
or (540) 231-8863.
Foresters Incorporated
is a full service
forestry consulting
firm located in Blacksburg,
Va., and can be contacted
at forinc@foresters-inc.com
or (540) 951-2094.
