Our Mission
The mission of the Department of Sustainable Bioproducts is to enhance the intellectual, cultural, social, and professional development of its students by providing them with knowledge and skills needed to utilize and conserve diverse forest resources effectively.
Forest Products Industry
The forest products industry is one of the largest economic contributors to Mississippi, as well as in the United States. Employment in the furniture, lumber, wood products, composites, and paper sectors of the economy far exceeds the employment of any other manufacturing sector in the state.
While the industry is very large in terms of employment, value-added processing facilities number only a few thousand nationwide and a few hundred in Mississippi. Sustainable Bioproducts students are in demand to fill jobs with relatively high starting salaries and excellent opportunities for advancement. Currently, sustainable bioproducts students receive up to two job offers after graduation.
Our History
The Department of Sustainable Bioproducts began in 1964 as the Forest Products Utilization Laboratory as authorized by the Mississippi Legislature. The laboratory was established to provide research and technical assistance for the secondary wood manufacturing industry in the state.
In 1967, the Department of Wood Science and Technology was established and approved to offer master's degrees. The department began offering bachelor's degrees in wood science and technology in 1975. The Furniture Research Unit was created in 1987 to support the burgeoning furniture industry in Mississippi, the top producer of motion furniture in the country. In 1989, the Department of Wood Science and Technology changed its name to the Department of Forest Products. It changed again in 2013, and its current name—the Department of Sustainable Bioproducts—reflects the renewable, natural and sustainable resources used in the industry.
Throughout its history, the department's mission has been to discover new knowledge on the properties and uses of wood and to improve the conversion methods used to convert timber to wood-based materials that are useful to society at home and beyond. The department has also maintained dedication to teaching and preparing the future’s industry leaders.
Get In Touch
Located at
Forest Products Laboratory
Mail To
P.O. Box 9820
Mississippi State, MS 39762
Location
201 Locksley Way
Starkville, MS 39759
Call Us
(662) 325-2116
Fax Us
(662) 325-8986
Facilities
Forest Products Laboratory
The R.T. Clapp Forest Products Laboratory is comprised of laboratories, office buildings and other special-purpose buildings with a combined floor space of more than 90,000 square feet. These buildings house the analytical and testing equipment, pilot plants and support facilities required for comprehensive research programs involving wood and wood products. The Forest Products Laboratory is a unit of MSU’s Forest and Wildlife Research Center.
Franklin Furniture Center
The Franklin Center is a 35,500 square foot furniture research facility that supports a comprehensive furniture research, testing and technical assistance program. The Center houses the Franklin Furniture Institute. A key function of the facility is to display and demonstrate the programs and outcomes of all units within the Institute and to showcase the furniture industry in Mississippi. The Franklin Furniture Institute is a unit of MSU's Forest and Wildlife Research Center.