FRA’s 2025 SOUTHEASTERN REGION TECHNICAL WRITING AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE– Monday, May 19, 2025
Miramar Beach, FL, May 7, 2025 – The Forest Resources Association (FRA) proudly presented Drs. Brian Bond and Sailesh Adhikari with the 2025 Southeastern Region Technical Writing Award during the FRA 2025 Southeastern Region Spring Meeting, held in conjunction with FRA’s Annual Meeting in Miramar Beach, Florida.
FRA’s Technical Releases are quarterly publications that highlight technical advancements, research, and innovative programs across the forest products industry. Many of these releases are authored by FRA members, and the best in each region are selected annually by the region’s Steering Committee for recognition.
Clay Altizer, FRA’s Southwide Region Manager, announced Drs. Brian Bond and Sailesh Adhikari as this year’s award recipients and praised their contributions to research, innovation, and outreach through technical writing.
Bond and Adhikari were recognized for their release titled “Hardwood CLT: Where We Stand Now,” which showcases over a decade of research at Virginia Tech exploring alternative wood species for use in cross-laminated timber (CLT). Their work has led to groundbreaking progress, including the inclusion of yellow poplar as the first hardwood species in the ANSI/APA PRG 320 CLT standard.
Dr. Bond is a professor and Associate Dean of Extension at Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment, where he leads programs in sustainable wood utilization. Dr. Adhikari is Director of Research and Development at the National Hardwood Lumber Association and has contributed extensively to hardwood product innovation. Their shared commitment to advancing sustainable forestry and building materials continues to shape the future of wood-based construction.
Although Drs. Bond and Adhikari were unable to attend the meeting in person, FRA Southwide Region Manager Clay Altizer made special visits to both recipients to personally present their awards.
“FRA is grateful to Drs. Bond and Adhikari for sharing their applied research advancements with FRA members. The forest products industry has long benefited from research efforts occurring on campus at our land-grant universities. This article highlights another fine example of this successful collaboration. As a proud Virginia Tech alumnus, it’s great to see Brian and Sailesh have continued to ensure that innovative industry advancements are still a top priority in Blacksburg.” – Clay Altizer, FRA Southwide Region Manager.
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