FRA’s 2026 Lake States Region Technical Writing Award Winner
Green Bay, WI — September 29, 2026 — The Forest Resources Association (FRA) honored Scott Bowe, Professor of Wood Products at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and Matt Bumgardner, Research Forest Products Technologist with the USDA Forest Service Forest Products Laboratory, as the recipients of the 2026 Lake States Region Technical Writing Award. FRA presented the award at its 2026 Joint National and Lake States Region Fall Meeting at the Hotel Northland in Green Bay, WI.
FRA’s Technical Releases are valuable member resources published quarterly to highlight technical advancements, research, and innovative programs across the forest products industry. Many are authored by FRA members, providing an opportunity to share knowledge and practical insights with peers across the association. Outstanding submissions from each region are selected annually by regional Steering Committees for consideration for national recognition, with each Technical Release Award winner receiving the added distinction of having their Technical Release made publicly available to a broader audience.
FRA Lake States Region Consultant Josh Burling presented the award to Bowe on the morning of September 29, before Bowe’s presentation during the Lake States Region program. In presenting the honor, Burling highlighted Bowe’s longstanding generosity in sharing his expertise with the forestry profession and forest products industry. Burling also noted that Bowe had not known about the award, making his contribution especially meaningful as an expression of genuine service to the industry. With Bumgardner unable to attend, Bowe accepted the award on behalf of them both, and the pair were recognized again during the awards dinner that evening.
“Scott and Matt’s article led all Lake States technical releases this past year based on reader open rates and earned the clear support of our 20-member Lake States Region Steering Committee. Their work helps the industry understand the forces reshaping hardwood markets and plan for the future.” – Josh Burling, FRA Lake States Region Consultant
Bowe and Bumgardner’s award-winning Technical Release, “An Overview of the Hardwood Industry in the 21st Century,” traces the structural changes that have reshaped the U.S. hardwood lumber sector since production peaked in 1999. The article examines how the offshoring of furniture manufacturing reduced a major source of domestic hardwood demand and how the housing-market crash further disrupted production, employment, and mill activity. It also follows the rise of hardwood exports to China and their subsequent contraction, while describing the growing importance of industrial markets as the sector adjusted to changing demand. In addition, the authors consider competition from substitute materials and the broader pressures affecting hardwood producers and markets. The release concludes that the industry’s future will depend on understanding and navigating an increasingly interconnected environment shaped by global trade, macroeconomic trends, effective marketing, and continued improvements in industrial efficiency.
Scott Bowe is Professor of Wood Products at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he has long shared his expertise with the forestry profession and forest products industry. Matt Bumgardner is a Research Forest Products Technologist with the USDA Forest Service Forest Products Laboratory. Together, their work examines the market forces, structural changes, and emerging challenges shaping the U.S. hardwood lumber industry.
About Forest Resources Association (FRA)
FRA is an association representing the interests of more than 300 organizations and businesses in the forest products industry, including forest landowners, suppliers, consuming mills, associated businesses, and state forestry associations. Members all share a common interest – they rely on FRA to promote the public policy interests of the forest products industry’s supply chain on Capitol Hill and our work to advance safety, operational and technical efficiencies, and supply chain relations. FRA has member representation in 49 states and 384 Congressional Districts.
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