Educational Resources
Part of NCASI’s mission is to provide education to its Member Companies. Research conducted by NCASI scientists and engineers covers a wide variety of environmental issues of interest to the forest products industry, and these technical studies often yield educational resources – such as handbooks, workshops, and webinars – that assist with the orientation of staff new to environmental positions. Recently, NCASI has developed Fact Sheets and Briefing Notes to provide introductory, high-level overviews on current topics of interest.
Why Do Forest Managers Use Clearcut Harvesting? (FS-23-01)
This fact sheet provides a brief overview of clearcut harvesting, notes important environmental consequences of clearcut harvest, and explains the difference between clearcut harvest and deforestation.
Learn MoreClimate Change and Historical Forest Growth Changes in the US and Canada (FS-22-10)
This fact sheet provides a brief overview of current knowledge about historical changes in forest growth and suggests how continuing changes may impact future fiber supply.
Learn MoreSoil Carbon and Forest Management – Focus on the Great Lakes Region (FS-22-09)
This fact sheet provides an overview of soil organic matter in forests and how various forest management practices affect soil carbon. It examines soil carbon issues specific to the forest products industry in the Great Lakes region.
Learn MoreWood Ash as a Soil Amendment (FS-22-08)
This fact sheet provides an overview of wood ash characteristics and the types of wood ash generated at forest products facilities, examining benefits and challenges of land application.
Learn MoreForest Management and the Water Cycle (FS-22-07)
This fact sheet examines the complex relationship between forest management, climate, and water.
Learn MoreInvasive Species in US Forests: Risks and Information Needs (FS-22-06)
This fact sheet provides a brief overview of the risks to commercial forestry posed by invasive species, and the current research gaps associated with cost-effective solutions.
Learn MoreNOAA State Climate Summaries (FS-22-05)
This fact sheet documents the NOAA State Climate Summaries website, model projection summaries, and limitations of models and data.
Learn MoreFecal Indicator Bacteria (FS-22-04)
This fact sheet provides an overview of the analytical methods commonly used to test for fecal indicator bacteria in pulp and paper mill effluents and implications for the industry.
Learn MoreForest Harvest Effects on Low Flow (FS-22-03)
Understanding the influence of forest management on seasonal low flow is increasingly important with a changing climate.
Learn MoreFinding Enough Good Food to Eat Can be Challenging for Caribou in Northeastern British Columbia (FS-22-02)
Nutrition underpins virtually every life process in animals and is fundamentally important to populations through its effects on survival and reproduction.
Learn MoreAssessing the Impacts of Fire on Forests (FS-22-01)
Fire can have positive or negative effects on forest ecosystems, depending on the characteristics of the forest and of the fire.
Learn MoreLong-Term Receiving Water Study
The Long-Term Receiving Water Study (LTRWS) is an ongoing integrated NCASI study of the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of US pulp and paper receiving streams.
Learn MoreHerbicide Tank Mixtures – Inert Ingredients and Adjuvants
Inert ingredients do not have direct herbicidal effects on plants, but they enhance the effectiveness of active ingredients and improve the product’s performance.
Learn MoreForest Management Contributions to Biodiversity in the Southeastern United States
Almost 90% of forests throughout the southeastern US are privately owned. These managed forest landscapes provide a mosaic…
Learn MorePaper and Plastic in Marine Environments
This fact sheet discusses paper and plastic in the context of marine litter as well as the relevance of marine litter in LCAs comparing products made of these two materials.
Learn MoreForest Harvest and Snowpack
Climate change is expected to alter snowpack. Increased air temperatures can shift the type of winter precipitation from snow to…
Learn MoreSediment Delivery in Managed Forest Streams of British Columbia
Natural soil erosion contributes sediment to streams, but a variety of human activities (i.e., urbanization, agriculture, forestry, mining) can also…
Learn MoreForestry BMPs Protect Aquatic Biodiversity in the Florida Panhandle Critical Biodiversity Area
This NCASI fact sheet highlights the ability of forestry BMPs to conserve aquatic biodiversity within the Florida Panhandle Critical Biodiversity Area, identified as an area of specified risk.
Learn MoreForestry BMPs Protect Aquatic Biodiversity in Southern Appalachian Critical Biodiversity Area
The Clean Water Act established national goals and a legal framework for protecting the physical, chemical, and biological integrity of…
Learn MoreForestry BMPs Protect Aquatic Biodiversity in Central Appalachian Critical Biodiversity Area
The Clean Water Act established national goals and a legal framework for protecting the physical, chemical, and biological integrity of…
Learn MoreWhat Do Caribou Eat — And Why Is It Important?
Nutrition is vitally important to all life processes. For ungulates such as caribou, inadequate nutrition can negatively impact…
Learn MorePaper Calculator 4.0
Paper Calculator 4.0 is a web-based tool for calculating and comparing environmental impacts of fourteen different paper grades with user-selectable amounts of recycled content.
Learn MoreChallenges in Characterizing the Effects of Forest Management on Biodiversity in LCA
Few LCAs have addressed environmental aspects of land use, including potential effects on biodiversity, and this fact sheet addresses ongoing debate about approaches for doing so.
Learn MoreCarbon Stored in Wood and Paper Products
Almost all of the sequestered carbon in the forest industry value chain is contained in three ‘pools’ – the forest, products-in-use, and products disposed of in landfills.
Learn MoreHerbicide Tank Mixtures – Potential Interactions
Synergistic chemical mixtures could be problematic because effects may not be predictable, but there is evidence that synergistic effects of herbicide mixtures are not an issue in actual practice.
Learn MoreThe Forest Products Sector: Circular By Design?
This NCASI fact sheet explores how the principles of the Circular Economy are intrinsic to the forest products sector, and discusses opportunities for improvement and associated challenges.
Learn MoreDoes Forest Bioenergy Affect Global Temperature?
This fact sheet addresses the confusion about the relationship between the timing of CO2 emissions and global temperature change, which has been particularly evident in the debate about the potential benefits of forest bioenergy.
Learn MoreWhat to Look for in Published LCA Studies of Forest Products
NCASI staff prepared this fact sheet to demystify some of the most important choices that must be made by the authors of LCAs and to equip readers to interpret the results with some objectivity.
Learn MoreIs Paper Compostable?
This fact sheet reviews some of the scientific literature on the subject of paper's biodegradability and the impacts, if any, of using paper products for composting.
Learn MoreHow Do Managed Forests Contribute to Reducing Climate Change?
Productive forests that are managed to produce products that store carbon and replace fossil fuels most often have greater long-term carbon benefits than forests left unmanaged.
Learn MoreWhat is Dynamic Modeling of GHG Impacts and Why Is It Important to Forest-Based Industries?
In this fact sheet, NCASI examines the potential implications of using a dynamic modeling approach to estimate the climate impact of forest products.
Learn MoreForestry Herbicide Use in the US and Canada
To help address herbicide-related questions that arise from interactions between Member Companies and their customers and other important stakeholders, NCASI developed this fact sheet to summarize herbicide use by the forest products sector in North America.
Learn MoreClimate Change Glossary
This glossary lists nearly 100 terms that appear frequently in news and journal articles on the topic of climate change.
Learn MoreGlossary of Acronyms
The following is a list of acronyms NCASI regularly references in our resources and their meaning.
Learn MoreResource Handbook for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)
The PFAS Handbook provides appropriate sampling and analytical protocols as well as recommendations for working with contract laboratories and ensuring production of high-quality analytical results.
Learn MoreHandbook of Chemical-Specific Information for the TSCA Chemical Data Reporting
The TSCA CDR Handbook assists pulp and paper mills or wood products plants in meeting periodic reporting obligations under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Section 8(a) Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) Rule.
Learn MoreHandbook of Chemical-Specific Information for SARA Section 313 Form R Reporting
The SARA Handbook is maintained to assist Member Company personnel with responsibility for preparing annual SARA Section 313 Form R reports.
Learn MoreSupport Document on NPDES Permitting
This support document is organized around common questions NCASI has received from its members when applying for NPDES permit renewals and/or responding to draft permits issued by regulatory agencies.
Learn MoreHandbook of Substance-Specific Information for National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI) Reporting
The NPRI Handbook contains substance-specific information sheets for compounds that have some likelihood of exceeding NPRI reporting thresholds at pulp and paper mills and wood products facilities in Canada.
Learn MoreHandbook of Environmental Regulations & Control (HERC): Pulp & Paper Manufacturing
The Handbook of Environmental Regulations and Control: Pulp and Paper Manufacturing covers EPA regulations applicable to pulp and paper manufacturing operations.
Learn MoreHandbook of Environmental Regulations & Control (HERC): Wood Products Manufacturing
The Handbook of Environmental Regulations and Control: Wood Products Manufacturing covers regulatory requirements applicable to wood products plants.
Learn MoreMethods Manual
As part of the Technical Studies Program, NCASI sometimes develops methods for analytical parameters for which no rigorously tested or validated methods are available.
Learn MoreForest management practices that enhance value of southeastern managed pine landscapes to bird communities
The southeastern US is widely known as a bastion of privately-owned, managed pine (Pinus spp.) forests, comprised primarily of native…
Learn MoreCanadian Forestry Regulations and Standards
Canadian forestry operations are governed by a complex and continuously evolving regulatory framework based on multi-stakeholder consultation that varies by location and forest type.
Learn MoreBiomass Carbon Cycle Diagram
The forest sector is frequently asked questions regarding its use of biomass and needs to portray this use in the…
Learn MoreForest Carbon from Young vs. Old Forests
This infographic illustrates how forests of different ages play different roles in removing carbon from the atmosphere and storing it in wood.
Learn MoreBiomass Carbon Neutrality in the Forest Products Industry
This NCASI infographic illustrates different accounting approaches that are used to assess biomass carbon neutrality, with wildly varying results.
Learn MoreWater Profile of the Canadian Forest Products Industry
This infographic illustrates that the Canadian forest products industry treats and returns nearly 90% of the water it uses to the environment.
Learn MoreWater Profile of the US Forest Products Industry
This infographic illustrates that the US forest products industry treats and returns nearly 90% of the water it uses to the environment.
Learn MoreNCASI Response to Dogwood Alliance Report
The report “Climate Impacts of Industrial Forest Practices in North Carolina,” authored by John Talberth and published in September 2019…
Learn MoreBoot Camp on Canadian Environmental Regulations
In April of 2020 NCASI hosted a series of five webinars to provide a high-level overview of Canadian environmental…
Learn MoreGHG Protocol Standards for Corporate GHG Inventories
Scientists in NCASI's Sustainable Manufacturing & Climate Programs provided this update on the World Resources Institute’s Greenhouse Gas Protocol.
Learn MoreMeasurement of Forest Carbon
This brief presentation (15 min) describes how forest inventory data are used to develop estimates of forest carbon stocks and…
Learn MoreUnderstanding Biogenic Carbon Video Series
This set of seven recorded videos provides an overview of biomass carbon and the key concepts needed to understand the…
Learn MoreUnderstanding Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
This set of five recorded videos provides an overview of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Product Category Rules (PCRs) and Environmental…
Learn MoreBiochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD)
Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) - 1) The quantity of oxygen used in the biochemical oxidation of organic matter in a specified time, temperature, and conditions.
Learn MoreLong-Term Receiving Water Study (LTRWS): Biological Assessment of Rivers and Streams
The study, involving four different U.S. receiving waters, includes two rivers in Oregon (McKenzie and Willamette Rivers), a study site in Pennsylvania (Codorus Creek), and a river in Mississippi (Leaf River).
Learn MoreLTRWS: The Four Rivers in the Study
The 10- to 20-year Long-Term Receiving Water Study (LTRWS) examines the influence of pulp mill effluent discharges on receiving water aquatic ecosystem health has been initiated.
Learn MoreSummary: Long-Term Receiving Water Study
The Long-Term Receiving Water Study (LTRWS) is a 10- to 20-year that examines the influence of pulp mill effluent discharges on receiving water aquatic ecosystem health.
Learn MorePossible Treatment Technologies and Associated Costs for Nutrient Removal from Paper Industry Effluents
Numeric Nutrient Criteria Workshop presentation from the NCASI Northern Regional Meeting (Portland, ME) by William Thacker (NCASI) May 11, 2010.
Learn MoreMacroinvertebrates
This hands-on, instructional video features NCASI Research Scientist Bill Arthurs demonstrating the process and purpose of macroinvertebrate collection for laboratory analysis as part of the Long-Term Receiving Water Study (LTRWS).
Learn MoreOn-Demand Video Library
NCASI’s On-Demand Video Library consists of a variety of recorded presentations on some of our most commonly sought-after topics. Each…
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