The National Council for Air and Stream Improvement (NCASI) is an independent, non-profit research institute that focuses on environmental topics of interest to the forest products industry. NCASI was established in 1943 by the pulp and paper industry to provide technical assistance for the industry’s goal of lowering the ecological impact of its spent pulping liquors. In the years since, NCASI has developed technical expertise spanning the spectrum of environmental challenges facing the forest products industry,   and   is   today    recognized as
the leading source of reliable data on environmental     issues    affecting     this

industry.   Through its research investiga-
tions, surveys, and other information gathering activities, NCASI helps ensure that environmental decision-making at many    different    levels    is    based    on

NCASI's Mission:  To serve the forest products industry as a center of excellence for providing technical information and scientific research needed to achieve the industry’s environmental goals and principles.

technical information of the highest possible quality. NCASI’s extensive research program is funded primarily by annual dues from its member companies, which collectively produce more than 90 percent of the pulp and paper and a sizeable fraction of the wood products manufactured in the United States. Membership is open to forest products companies in the United States, Canada, and beyond North America. Sustaining Membership is open to suppliers, consulting firms, testing laboratories, and engineering firms allied to the forest products industry.

NCASI maintains a technical staff of approximately 80 scientists and engineers with expertise in areas such as chemistry, chemical engineering, environmental engineering, pulp and paper science, forestry, toxicology, aquatic biology, wildlife biology, forest biology, and computer science. All of NCASI’s senior staff hold graduate degrees in their specialty areas.

Research activities are conducted at several facilities located throughout the United States—three regional centers, two aquatic biology facilities, and numerous forestry-related field study sites. NCASI’s headquarters office is located in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. In 2002, NCASI expanded operations to accommodate the Canadian industry, and opened an office in Montreal.

NCASI distributes a variety of publications, including newsletters, current awareness memos, and handbooks. The results of NCASI’s research studies are usually published in the form of Technical Bulletins or Special Reports. While these research results are used extensively within the industry, they also find frequent use among academic researchers, regulatory agencies, and others needing reliable environmental data and information on the forest products industry. NCASI frequently sponsors research projects at universities and other research institutes, and encourages external researchers to publish their work as appropriate in peer-reviewed journals.