Alaska Lumber Grading Program adds training dates

A man leans over a two-by-four piece of lumber with a yellow tape to measure a knot in the wood as another man looks on.
Photo by Nathaniel Wilder
A participant in the Alaska Lumber Grading Program checks the size of a knot in a two-by-four, one factor used to determine the lumber’s grade.

Julie Stricker
907-474-5406
Sept. 13, 2024

Four training dates are scheduled in October for individuals who wish to earn certification from the Alaska Lumber Grading Program.

The free program's purpose is to expand Alaskans' ability to use locally harvested lumber for homebuilding. The certificate allows individuals to self-grade dimension lumber, which then can be used to build house frames in compliance with residential building codes.

Matt Labrenz, a forest products specialist with the University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service, will lead the sessions, which include classroom training and hands-on lumber grading practice.

Participants will learn the visual grading system and rules for evaluating pieces of lumber and sorting them into categories based on characteristics that affect structural performance. They also will learn about the grade mark lumber infrastructure in North America, wood science for producing structural lumber, and the details and rules associated with using the program.

Individuals who complete the one-day training session and pass the associated exam will be issued a renewable five-year certificate allowing them to self-grade dimension lumber for personal use or for sale to an end user.

Upcoming sessions:

  • Soldotna: Wednesday, Oct. 2, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Soldotna Extension Center, 43961 Kalifornsky Beach Road
  • Aniak: Wednesday, Oct. 16, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Arviiq Regional Economic Development and Training Center 
  • Sitka: Wednesday, Oct. 23, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at the University of Alaska Southeast, 1332 Seward Ave., Sitka
  • Haines: Wednesday, Oct. 30, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at Aspen Suites Hotel Haines — Eagle Conference Room, 409 Main St., Haines

Visit the Alaska Lumber Grading Program website for registration links.

For more information, contact Labrenz at mtlabrenz@alaska.edu or 907-474-7192.

Accommodation requests related to a disability should be made five business days in advance to Labrenz. Language access services, such as interpretation or translation of vital information, will be provided free of charge to individuals with limited English proficiency upon request to amnorris2@alaska.edu.

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