[Prev][Next][Index][Thread]

Update-Projects to Improve The Bamboo Industry



BAMBOO IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST

The time that has passed since the 1994 Pacific Northwest Bamboo
Agro-forestry Workshop has seen some progress made to the goals.

The projects:

1.  Municipal sewage applications

This goal needs a site and responsible party. As a municipal or public
facility, this goal has good potential for grant funding. Could be a site
near or on university property. A few people have talked about it but to
date there has been no progress as far as I know.

2.  Riparian improvement

Barney Amdahl's place is a narrow couple of acres along 1/2 mile of the
Coquille River near Oregon's coast. He keeps some livestock in fields
adjacent to the river. The State of Oregon has a riparian improvement
program that assists landowners in reestablishing plants along the
riverbank. If an application is approved, the state will plant and fence
the applicants property with native waterside tress like willows and
alders. Barney was able to use the program to plant 3 species of bamboo. He
had to purchase the bamboo himself but the State did the rest.


3.  Survey of interest in computer networking

Jim Ryan of Santa Cruz, CA is another champion of bamboo progress. Jim is
the head of campus housing at the University of California at Santa Cruz.
He was able to get approval to use the computer system for managing the
e-mail list for bamboo. There are about one hundred bamboo researchers,
growers, crafters and just interested people that have joined the list and
participate in international discussion on our favorite grass. To join the
bamboo group send an e-mail message to <Maiser@housing.ucsc.edu> with the
message: subscribe bamboo.

Barry Abrahamson is a computer specialist from Washington. He and his son,
Peter, volunteered to to design and present the American Bamboo Society's
home page on the World Wide Web. The site can be accessed by anyone using
the Internet. Thousands of people have visited the bamboo web site. The
address (URL) is <http://www.halcyon.com/p1rabbit/bamboo/abs.html>.

4.  Determination of target species for pulp, poles, shoots, and craft
applications

American bamboo growing is in its infancy. More knowledge is needed
concerning the best bamboo species to grow for various purposes in the
variety of climates found in the Pacific Northwest. It was proposed that
coordinated research efforts be undertaken through literature searches and
test cropping as many species as possible.

This goal needs to be undertaken seriously and soon.

5.  Proceedings of the workshop

BAMBOO IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST
The compilation of the papers and the group discussion period of the
Pacific Northwest Bamboo Agro-Forestry Workshop were prepared for me by the
speakers. The papers were edited and drafted into this manuscript. Tom
Taylor of Brookings, OR was the second editor. His work was drafted into
the final version. Ned Jaquith and Rick Valley performed the final read and
last editorial contributions.


6.  Development of other goals for researchers

Needs more work. Research of existing literature, surveys of existing
plantings, trials of important economic species, economic feasibility
studies, etc. This is the goal area where studies need to be intitiated in
the research institutions and public agencies.

7.  Formation of grower, cottage industry and marketing coops

Other "bambuseros" (a word coined for American bamboo lovers) have been
working  to increase cooperation amongst the bamboo professionals in this
country. Adam Turtle has been diligently publishing the "Temperate Bamboo
Quarterly" , coordinating workshops and conferences. Daphne Lewis and her
partners, Simon Henderson and Stuart Brune (Bamboo People) are consulting
with farmers interested in planting acreage of bamboo. Their activities are
helping to form cooperation between bamboo suppliers in the region.
-------

Gib Cooper, Coordinator PNW Bamboo Agro-Forestry Workshop
28446 Hunter Creek Loop
Gold Beach, OR  97444
Tel. or FAX 541/247-0835                e-mail:  bambugib@harborside.com