The Bourbon industry has been booming in Kentucky and long-term availability of White oak wood for barrels is a concern for the industry. This has emphasized the importance of efficient utilization of the White oak wood that stave mills and cooperages have in inventory. 

UK Forestry and Natural Resources extension through our wood products team have been engaged in work with several large stave and cooperage facilities in Kentucky that were having significant moisture variation and breakage issues with barrel staves in their manufacturing process. Chad Niman working directly with the wood industry with drying and quality aspects of wood products manufacturing received multiple requests relating to drying and breakage issues that were rising in stave and cooperage facilities in response to increased global bourbon demand and as a result an enormous increase in barrel production.

Onsite visits to industry facilities allowed for observation and discussion with facility employees, leading to recommendations in the form of short reports. Follow up with the industry facilities determined that cost savings from information provided from those site visits and evaluations exceed $10 million annually. However, the impact of this continued extension support is much larger as over 4 years 26 million board feet of white oak has been recovered by facilities through improved drying and material handling practices- which is additional barrel material for use in the bourbon and spirits industry and subsequently more bourbon produced from harvested white oak.

These visits and service provided were foundational to the development of an ongoing “Barrel Stave Drying Research Study” evaluating moisture variance within and amongst staves and stave stacks, as well as testing treatment methods for reducing degrade during drying in the form of checks and cracks, which can be points of leakage. This research is anticipated to provide more cost and material savings to our stave and cooperage industry which is reliant upon white oak. The study is supported by an external “Stave Industry Advisory Committee” with knowledgeable industry professionals to collaborate and aide in the development of current and future research. This research cooperative includes 3 of the largest and most prominent stave and cooperage industries in the state and surrounding region, all of which have a national and global footprint.  An important component of this effort has been the successful development. This work has direct ties to the "White Oak Initiative" and active partners.

Since initial assistance over $50 million have been saved/earned by an industry facility as a result of this program.