Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 54 / Thursday, March 20, 1997 / Notices 13363

Estimated Number of Responses per

Respondent: 3.265.

Estimated Total Annual Burden on

Respondents: 1,395.

Comments are sought on these

requirements including: (a) whether the

continued collection of information is

necessary for the proper performance of

CCC contracting activities, including

whether the information will have

practical utility; (b) the accuracy of

CCC’s estimate of burden including the

validity of the methodology and

assumptions used; (c) enhancing the

quality, utility, and clarity of the

information to be collected; (d)

minimizing the burden of the collection

of information on those who are to

respond, including using appropriate

automated, electronic, mechanical, or

other technological collection

techniques or other forms of information

technology. Comments should be sent to

the Desk Officer for Agriculture, Office

of Information and Regulatory Affairs,

Office of Management and Budget,

Washington, D.C. 20503 and to Mr.

Steven Closson, Chief, Storage Contract

Branch, Warehouse and Inventory

Division, Farm Service Agency, United

States Department of Agriculture, 1400

Independence Ave., SW, Washington

DC 20250–0553. Copies of the

information collection may be obtained

from Mr. Closson at the above address.

All responses to this notice will be

summarized and included in the request

for OMB approval. All comments will

also become a matter of public record.

Signed at Washington, DC on March 12,

1997.

Bruce R. Weber,

Executive Vice President, Commodity Credit

Corporation.

[FR Doc. 97–6786 Filed 3–19–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–05–P

Forest Service

Commonality of the Chemistries

Involved in Moisture, Biological,

Ultraviolet, and Thermal Degradations

of Wood; Notice of Intent To Form a

Consortium

Program Description—Purpose. The

USDA, Forest Service, Forest Products

Laboratory (FPL) is seeking industrial

partners to form a Consortium dedicated

to understanding the commonality of

the chemistries involved in moisture,

biological, ultraviolet, and thermal

degradations of wood, and developing

basic approaches to protecting wood

from degradation without loss of other

basic properties, under the authority of

the Federal Technology Transfer Act of

1986 (15 U.S.C. 3710a).

An industrial partner may be a

Federal Agency, university, private

business, nonprofit organization,

research or engineering entity, or

combination of the above.

A summary of the current status of

preventing wood degradation is as

follows:

(a) Wood is a three-dimensional,

polymeric composite made up primarily

of cellulose, hemicelluloses, and lignin.

These polymers, along with extractives

and inorganics, and the matrix they are

in, make up the cell wall and are

responsible for the characteristics,

properties and performance of wood.

When considering wood as a long

term engineering material it must be

remembered that wood is a hygroscopic

resource that was designed to perform,

in nature, in a wet environment and that

nature is programmed to recycle wood

in a timely way through biological,

thermal, aqueous, photochemical,

chemical, and mechanical degradations.

There are four basic chemical

reactions involved in all the degradation

reactions of wood: Oxidation, hydrolsis,

reduction, and dehydration. Because of

the similarities in degradation

chemistry, all these degradation

reactions will be studied together.

Cell wall polymers are responsible for

the properties of wood. Wood changes

dimension with changing moisture

content because the cell wall polymers

contain hydroxyl and other oxygencontaining groups that attract moisture

through hydrogen bonding. The

hemicelluloses are mainly responsible

for moisture sorption, but the accessible

cellulose, noncrystalline cellulose,

lignin, and surface of crystalline

cellulose also play minor parts to major

roles. Moisture swells the cell wall and

the wood expands until the cell wall is

saturated with water (fiber saturation

point (FSP)). Beyond this saturation

point, moisture exists as free water in

the void structure and does not

contribute to further expansion. The

process is reversible and the wood

shrinks as it loses moisture below the

FSP.

Wood exposed to moisture frequently

is not a equilibrium and has wet areas

and drier areas. This exacerbates the

moisture problem resulting in

differential swelling followed by

cracking and/or compression set. Over

the long term, wood undergoes cyclic

swelling and shrinking as moisture

levels change resulting in more severe

moisture effects than those encountered

under steady moisture conditions.

Wood is degraded biologically

because organisms recognize the

carbohydrate polymers (mainly the

hemicelluloses) in the cell wall and

have both specific and non-specific

chemical and specific enzyme systems

capable of hydrolyzing these polymers

into digestible units. Biodegradation of

both the matrix and the high molecular

weight cellulose weakens the fiber cell

wall. Strength is lost as the matrix and

cellulose polymer undergo degradation

through oxidation, hydrolysis, and

dehydration reactions. As degradation

continues, removal of cell wall content

results in weight loss.

Wood exposed outdoors undergoes

photochemical degradation caused by

ultraviolet radiation. This degradation

takes place primarily in the lignin

component, which is responsible for the

characteristic color changes. The surface

becomes richer in cellulose content as

the lignin degrades. In comparison to

lignin, cellulose is much less

susceptible to ultraviolet radiation

degradation. After the lignin has been

degraded, the poorly bonded

carbohydrate-rich fibers erode easily

from the surface, which exposes new

lignin to further degradative reactions.

In time, the ‘‘weathering’’ process

causes the surface of the composite to

become rough and can account for a

significant loss in surface fibers.

Wood burns because the cell wall

polymers undergo pyrolysis reactions

with increasing temperature to give off

volatile, flammable gasses. The

hemicelluloses and cellulose polymers

are degraded by heat much before the

lignin. The lignin and carbohydrate

components contribute to char

formation, and the charred layer helps

insulate the composite from further

thermal degradation.

The idea of protecting wood in

adverse environments dates back to

early human history. Perhaps the

earliest reference is in the Old

Testament (Genesis 6:14) when God

instructed Noah to build an ark of

gopher wood (a naturally durable and

hard wood) and cover it inside and

outside with pitch (for both water

repellency and decay protection).

Ancient civilization in Burma, China,

Greece, and Italy used various animal,

vegetable and mineral oils, tars, pitches

or charring to preserve wood. Sometime

during the second half of the eighteenth

century, the science of wood

preservation started with a search for

toxic chemicals that could be used to

treat wood to stop decay. The time line

might include: mercuric chloride first

used in 1705, patented in 1832; copper

sulfate first introduced in 1767,

patented in 1839; zinc chloride first

used in 1815; creosote first used in

1836; copper, chromium and arsenic

salts introduced in the early 1900’s; and

pentachlorophenol first introduced in
13364 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 54 / Thursday, March 20, 1997 / Notices

the 1930’s. All of these treatments were

based on broad spectra toxicity with

little concern for environmental

implications.

The earliest references to treating

wood for fire retardancy dates back to

the first century AD when the Romans

used alum and vinegar to protect boats

against fire. The science of fire

retardancy started in the first half of the

nineteenth century. In 1820 Gay-Lussac

used ammonium phosphates and borax

as fire retardants. Most of the inorganic

fire retardants used today were

developed between 1800 and 1870.

Protecting wood from moisture

damage also dates back into antiquity.

Waxes, oils, resins, paints, and coatings

have been used to help exclude

moisture since shortly after wood was

first used by humans.

Protecting wood from damage caused

by weathering also dates from the early

use of wood. Stains and coatings have

been used to cover wood from the

degradation caused both by water and

ultraviolet radiation.

The process of protecting wood from

one type of degradation can cause

another type of degradation to take

place. For example, in fire retardant

formulations involving free phosphoric

acid, treated wood has been shown to

lose strength. While the wood is very

effectively treated for fire retardancy,

service life is shortened by the loss in

strength. Similarly, wood decking

treated with chromated-copper-arsenate

(CCA), while having excellent antifungal properties, is being replaced after

a few years due to cracking and splitting

caused by moisture damage.

Since there are only four basic

chemistries involved in the degradation

mechanisms of wood (hydrolysis,

oxidation, dehydration, and reduction),

there are many similarities in the

degradation pathways regardless of the

source of the degradation. Through a

better understanding of these common

degradation chemistries, it should be

possible to protect wood in a more

holistic way. That is, controlling one

degradation chemistry can lead to the

protection of another degradation

mechanism. This leads to the idea of

combined treatments to control several

degradation pathways.

The Forest Products Laboratory is

requesting support for this project. The

support is in the form of membership in

the consortium and funding in the

amount of $15,000.00 per year for the

three-year proposed duration of the

Consortium.

An informational and organizational

meeting of the Consortium will be held

beginning May 5, 1997, 1 p.m. and

ending May 6, 1997, at 12 Noon, at the

USDA, Forest Service, Forest Products

Laboratory, One Gifford Pinchot Drive,

Madison, Wisconsin 53705–2398.

Technical questions may be directed

to Roger M. Rowell at the above address,

by fax at (608) 231–9262, or by phone

at (608) 231–9416.

Questions of a business or legal nature

may be directed to John G. Bachhuber

at the above address, by fax at (608)

231–9585, or by phone at (608) 231–

9282.

A copy of the proposed Cooperative

Research and Development Agreement

to be executed by consortium members

may be obtained by writing Joanne M.

Bosch at the above address, by faxing

her at (608) 231–9585, or by phoning

her at (608) 231–9205.

Done at Madison, WI, on March 11, 1997.

Thomas E. Hamilton,

Director.

[FR Doc. 97–7084 Filed 3–19–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–11–M

COMMISSION ON CIVIL RIGHTS

Agenda and Notice of Public Meeting

of the Connecticut Advisory

Committee

Notice is hereby given, pursuant to

the provisions of the rules and

regulations of the U.S. Commission on

Civil Rights, that a meeting of the

Connecticut Advisory Committee to the

Commission will convene at 1:00 p.m.

and adjourn at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday,

April 16, 1997, at the U.S. Sheraton

Hartford Hotel, Silas Deane Room, 315

Trumbull Street, Hartford, Connecticut

06103. The purpose of the meeting is to

1) provide an orientation for new

Committee members, and 2) plan project

activities for FY 1997.

Persons desiring additional

information, or planning a presentation

to the Committee, should contact

Committee Chairperson Dr. Ivor J.

Echols, 860–688–2009, or Ki-Taek

Chun, Director of the Eastern Regional

Office, 202–376–7533 (TDD 202–376–

8116). Hearing-impaired persons who

will attend the meeting and require the

services of a sign language interpreter

should contact the Regional Office at

least five (5) working days before the

scheduled date of the meeting.

The meeting will be conducted

pursuant to the provisions of the rules

and regulations of the Commission.

Dated at Washington, DC, March 12, 1997.

Carol-Lee Hurley,

Chief, Regional Programs Coordination Unit.

[FR Doc. 97–7083 Filed 3–19–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6335–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Submission for OMB Review;

Comment Request

DOC has submitted to the Office of

Management and Budget (OMB) for

clearance the following proposal for

collection of information under the

provisions of the Paperwork Reduction

Act (44 U.S.C. chapter 35).

Agency: Bureau of the Census.

Title: Questionnaire for Building

Permit Official.

Form Number(s): SOC–QBPO.

Agency Approval Number: 0607–

0125.

Type of Request: Revision of a

currently approved collection.

Burden: 209 hours.

Number of Respondents: 835.

Avg. Hours Per Response: 15 minutes.

Needs and Uses: The Bureau of the

Census uses the Questionnaire for

Building Permit Official in conjunction

with the Survey of Housing Starts,

Sales, and Completions (OMB number

0607–0110), also known as the survey of

construction (SOC). Data collected in

the SOC are used to produce statistics

on residential construction and are

needed by economic policy makers to

monitor this sector of the economy.

Census field interviewers use the

Questionnaire for Building Permit

Official to obtain information on the

operating procedures of a sample of the

building permit issuing offices in the

United States in order to locate, classify,

list, and sample building permits for

residential construction. This

information is used to carry out the

sampling for the SOC and to verify and

update the geographic coverage of

permit offices.

In July 1997, we plan to convert to an

electronic form to collect this data. We

have been experimenting with

Computer Assisted Personal

Interviewing (CAPI) and have been

using this technology on a test basis

since November 1995. Currently,

interviewers use a paper form to record

respondents’ answers. We have

improved the CAPI instrument over the

paper form based on a reassessment of

our data capture needs and efforts to

minimize burden. For example, we have

deleted some items that are no longer

used, added others that enhance the

conduct of the SOC, and improve the

flow of questions and overall survey

administration.

Affected Public: Business or other forprofit.

Frequency: Annually.

Respondent’s Obligation: Voluntary.

Legal Authority: Title 13 USC, Section

182.