About

Urs Buehlmann is a professor in the Department of Sustainable Biomaterials at Virginia Tech, working in the area of manufacturing systems engineering and business competitiveness. His activities also address issues relating to globalization. He teaches secondary wood products manufacturing and is a member of the Sloan Foundation Forest Industries Center. Additionally, he serves as an Adjunct Professor at Universite Laval, is a member of the board of WoodLINKS USA, and participates in the education committee of the Association of Woodworking and Furnishing Suppliers (AWFS). Urs Buehlmann moved to Virginia Tech in 2007 from Enkeboll Designs, where he was General Manager. His educational background includes a B.S. from the Swiss Institute of Wood Technology, an M.B.A. and a Ph.D. from Virginia Tech. His research interests encompass manufacturing systems engineering, lean manufacturing, business benchmarking, competitive strategy, and globalization.

Research topics

• Computer Science
• Engineering
• Marketing
• Telecommunications
• Industrial organization
• Mathematics
• Materials science
• Waste management
• Structural engineering
• Pulp and paper industry
• Forensic engineering
• Business
• Composite material
• Operations management

Selected publications

• Systematic Review of Applications Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Wooden Materials

  Forests · 2026-04-13

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  This study investigates the relevant literature on applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for wood as a material using a systematic review and screening process. The Web of Science (WoS) database identified 50 peer-reviewed publications dealing with AI applications for wood as a material. Bibliometrix and VOSviewer software were used to evaluate publication trends, country contributions, keyword co-occurrences, and AI application areas. Based on these analyses, an annual growth rate of 23.28% between 2014 and 2025 (November) in publications published per year was measured and an average of 6.92 citations per publication was observed as of November 2025. Most notably, a considerable increase in AI-focused research after 2023 was identified. Before 2022, work done using AI tools (such as neural networks, deep learning, and others) did not necessarily use the term AI and hence were not found by our search. China, Canada, and Poland were the countries with the highest number of publications. The leading journals with publications on AI applications for wood as a material were Forests and Wood Material Science and Engineering. The most frequently occurring keywords in the publications reviewed were “AI,” “machine learning,” and “deep learning.” In general, according to the publications reviewed, AI applications for wooden materials improved productivity, material evaluation, and quality assurance. The findings highlighted the impact of AI on the sector and show that AI will change the industry.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• The impact of cost and price fluctuations on U.S. hardwood sawmill profit

  BioResources · 2025-05-20 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  While public reports exist about hardwood log and lumber prices, sawmills’ operating costs are proprietary, and few records are publicly available. Operating costs make up a considerable share of a sawmill’s cost structure and are, therefore, crucial for understanding the fiscal health of a given operation. Using the assumption that today’s depressed lumber and residue markets result in sawmills, on average, making no profit and incurring no loss, this study estimated operation costs of a hypothetical 4, 8, and 12 MMBF production hardwood sawmill in the eastern United States producing red oak lumber. Using this knowledge and the Log Recovery Analysis Tool (LORCAT), this study found that a sawmill’s financial well-being is highly dependent on hardwood log and operating costs as well as lumber prices. A 0.1% change in any of these factors will lead to a statistically significant change in profit for a sawmill. For example, with a 12 MMBF/year production sawmill, a 0.1% increase in operating cost would reduce profit by $4,510 but would increase profit $4,536 with an operating cost decrease of 0.1%. Similar observations can be made for log cost while lumber prices contribute even more to the volatility of the financial well-being of a sawmill.

  PublisherDOI

• Validating LORCAT, the Log Recovery Analysis Tool

  Forest Products Journal · 2024-07-01

  article

  Abstract The Log Recovery Analysis Tool (LORCAT) is a simulation tool that allows users to examine the impact of changes in the hardwood log-sawing process on sawn volume, grade recovery, and profit. LORCAT was designed to be simple to use and requires a minimum of user data entry. While the results of LORCAT have been informally compared to sawmill results by users, no formal validation of results has yet been performed. This study compared LORCAT’s simulated recovery results to that of an actual sawmill. For the 42 hardwood log samples we examined, we found no significant statistical difference in the total sawn volume produced. However, significant differences were found with the number of boards produced, which resulted from differences in the accuracy of targeting the opening-face board size.

  PublisherDOI

• Effect of Sawing Variation on Hardwood Lumber Recovery—Part II: Board Count

  Forest Products Journal · 2023-01-01 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  Abstract Sawing variation (SV) describes all variations that exist in the production of lumber due to machine, material, set works, feed works, and cutting parameters. The necessary oversizing of board thickness due to SV diminishes sawmill profits and hence efforts must be made to reduce the variation. However, such efforts are costly and sawmill personnel generally do not know at which point efforts to reduce (SV) become more costly than oversizing the boards. In an accompanying paper we examined the impact of SV on lumber volume recovery and found that volume recovery increased comparatively more for thinner than for thicker kerfs and that the effect of reduced SV became more pronounced as diameter increased. In this second manuscript, the effect of SV on the quantity of boards sawn for a range of hardwood log diameters using the US Forest Service's LOg ReCovery Analysis Tool sawmill simulation software was researched and compared with the volume improvement from an earlier paper. Results showed that significant differences in the number of boards obtained was dependent on the log diameters sawn, the lumber target thickness, and the change (reduction) in SV. A minimal average recovery improvement of 3 percent due to reduced SV was observed across all kerf thicknesses, equating to a potential production value improvement of $336,000 for an 8 million board feet mill. All sawmills can benefit from reducing SV, but mills that saw large-diameter logs might consider pursuing SV reduction more aggressively than a sawmill sawing mostly small-diameter logs.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• LUMBER YIELD ESTIMATION BASED ON THE METHOD OF LEAST SQUARES

  2023-01-01 · 3 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding

  Due to increasing lumber prices and declining raw material quality, secondary hardwood products manufacturers are placing heavy emphasis on lumber yield improvements in recent years. Cutting bill requirements are one of the parameters that directly influence lumber yield obtained in rough mills. Cutting bill requirements describe the parts to be produced from the incoming lumber in the rough mill in terms of geometry and quantity. By understanding the interaction of cutting bill requirements on lumber yield, strategies can be developed to create cutting bills whose requirements are such that maximum yield is achieved. Computer based rough mill simulation techniques and statistical methods were used to create a novel yield estimation model based on the method of least squares. The model classifies cutting bills according to their expected level of lumber yield and can thus be used to create cutting bills that result in maximum yield.

  PublisherDOI

• Effect of Sawing Variation on Hardwood Lumber Recovery—Part I: Volume

  Forest Products Journal · 2023-01-01

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Abstract Sawing variation (SV), the degree of deviation from a specified target lumber size, is an unavoidable component of the sawing process. SV is influenced by several factors such as machine, material, set works, feed works, and cutting parameters. To account for these factors resulting in deviations from the desired target size, the target thickness of the lumber cut must be increased such that only a minimal number of boards is less than target thickness. Thus, the greater the amount of SV, the larger the target thickness must be such that a minimal quantity of undersized lumber is produced. Hence, with larger amounts of SV come greater waste and decreased opportunities for optimizing lumber recovery. However, the decrease in material loss due to a reduction in SV may not necessarily translate into a statistically significant increase in lumber product recovery by volume. This study explored the effect of varying degrees of SV on lumber recovery by volume for a range of hardwood log diameters using the US Forest Service's LOg ReCovery Analysis Tool sawmill simulation software. A minimal average recovery improvement of 3 percent due to reduced SV was observed across all kerf thicknesses, equating to a production value improvement of $336,000 for an 8 million board feet mill. Results indicate that the recovery gains realized by volume depend upon the log diameters sawn, the lumber target thickness, and the change (reduction) in SV.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• A Preliminary Assessment of Industry 4.0 and Digitized Manufacturing in the North American Woodworking Industry

  Forest Products Journal · 2022 · 5 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding
  • Computer Science
  • Business
  • Marketing

  Abstract Industry 4.0, a term referring to the digitization of manufacturing, enhanced automation, and data-driven production systems, promises to bring rapid change to the secondary woodworking industry. Manufacturers in this sector, many being small in size and scale, may be challenged to remain competitive without understanding how Industry 4.0 principles might affect their operations. A study conducted with subscribers to a major secondary wood industry trade journal found that few North American woodworking companies were familiar with the term “Industry 4.0.” However, that did not mean they were not making decisions about, investing in, and implementing digitization–computerization (digit–comp) in their manufacturing operations. Well over half of study respondents indicated that their firms had made a significant investment in digit–comp over the past 3 years. Several respondents stated that software and technology integration was the most unexpected problem encountered, and that skilled labor was difficult to find. A variety of training types were sought by firms that had made significant Industry 4.0-related investments, especially training related to machine operation. Although a plurality of respondents from both small and large firms indicated that increased digit–comp would not change their number of employees, small firms were more likely to say more employees would be needed and large firms were more likely to perceive a decrease in employees. Perhaps the greatest challenge to successful implementation of Industry 4.0 will be the lack of a strategic plan—just 19 percent of small firms indicated having a vision of how digitization might affect their business.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• The Effect of Kerf Thickness on Hardwood Log Recovery

  Forest Products Journal · 2022 · 2 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding
  • Materials science
  • Composite material
  • Pulp and paper industry

  Abstract When sawing a log into lumber or other products, the saw blade removes material to separate the wood fibers between the resulting two parts, a loss of material that is commonly referred to as saw kerf. Thicker kerfs result in greater waste and less material available to produce lumber. Over the past decades, with the advancement of materials and technology, saw blade thickness has decreased. However, the reduction in material loss owing to a reduction in saw kerf may not always translate into a statistically significant increase in lumber product recovery. In this study, we explored the effect of saw kerf thickness on lumber recovery for a range of hardwood log diameters using the US Forest Service's Log Recovery Analysis Tool (LORCAT) sawmill simulation tool. Results indicate that the recovery gains realized depend upon the log diameters sawn, the lumber target thickness, and the change (reduction) in the thickness of the saw kerf.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Housing's impact on woodworker spending

  2021-01-01

  article

  As the industry emerges from the pandemic, what challenges await those involved in the construction-based sectors? For perspective, the total value of private construction (residential and nonresidential) put in place in the United States was slightly over a trillion dollars ($1,081 billion) in 2020, up from $1,031 billion in 2019. Spending in all residential categories increased in 2020, including 7.9% for single family, 6.6% for multi-family, and 20.3% for residential improvements. Spending on nonresidential construction however declined by 2.9%.

  Publisher

• LORCAT: a log recovery analysis tool for hardwood sawmill efficiency

  2021-01-01 · 5 citations

  reportOpen access
  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Matthew Bumgardner

  Northern Research Station

  28 shared

• R. Edward Thomas

  23 shared

• Delton Alderman

  23 shared

• Omar Espinoza

  23 shared

• Matt Bumgardner

  18 shared

• Al Schuler

  14 shared

• K. M. Koenig

  Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

  12 shared

• Janice K. Wiedenbeck

  Northern Research Station

  10 shared

Labs

• Sustainable BiomaterialsPI