NTC Wood Technology Center of Excellence

06/22/2026

💡 Did you know?

Some woods glow under UV light—and some don't!

The bowl on the left is made from honey locust, while the bowl on the right is made from American beech. When we shine a UV flashlight on them, the honey locust lights up, but the beech stays dark.

This glowing effect is called fluorescence. It happens because every wood species contains different natural compounds, called extractives. Honey locust has extractives that react to UV light and create that glow, while beech does not.

It's a great reminder that wood is more than just wood! Each species has its own unique characteristics and surprises.

Want to learn more about what makes different woods unique? That's exactly the kind of hands-on discovery students make in the Wood Science program at Northcentral Technical College.

Science, craftsmanship, and a little bit of wonder; all hidden inside a piece of wood. 🌳

06/19/2026

🌲 Imagine standing in a forest and realizing every tree around you is part of the same living being.

Meet Pando, a colony of more than 40,000 quaking aspens (Populus tremuloides) in Utah. While it looks like a forest, every tree is connected to the same root system and shares identical DNA; making it a single living organism. When one trunk dies, the root system sends up a new one, allowing Pando to survive for millennia.

📏 Covers 106 acres
⚖️ Weighs an estimated 13 million pounds
⏳ Believed to be thousands of years old, possibly up to 14,000 years
💡Its name comes from Latin and means "I spread."

06/15/2026

In this clip, one of our Wood Science students is setting up a six-spindle manual moulder in the NTC Wood Technology Center of Excellence.

A moulder takes a board that’s flat on all sides and machines a profile onto all four faces in a single pass through the machine. This capability is essential in the forest products industry, allowing manufacturers to efficiently produce mouldings, trim, flooring, paneling, and other value-added products with precision and consistency.

What's especially cool is that this machine is the next stop in the process after our students manufacture their own moulder knives. Once the knives are designed, ground, and installed in cutterheads, they come here to be put to work; giving students hands-on experience from tool design all the way through production.

06/12/2026

Months of hard work, attention to detail, and hands-on learning all come together in the finished product.

These completed species panels showcase a variety of wood species while also demonstrating one of the most important concepts in the wood products industry: lumber grading. On each panel, the boards are arranged from the highest grade on the left to lower grades on the right, allowing students and visitors to see the differences in appearance and quality side by side.

Creating these displays required students to apply knowledge gained throughout the semester—from identifying wood species and evaluating lumber characteristics to preparing and finishing the final product. The panels will serve as educational tools for future students while highlighting the craftsmanship and technical skills developed in NTC's Wood Science program.

Great work by our students for completing these projects before the semester wrapped up!

Interested in turning your passion for wood products into a career? Learn more about the Wood Science program at Northcentral Technical College.

06/09/2026

From volunteers to attendees, thank you to everyone who was able to attend this event! 🥞

We hope everyone had a great time at the Marathon County June Dairy Breakfast yesterday!

This event would not be possible without community support, and we want to recognize the sponsors that helped to make this event a success.

Lund Transport LLC, Dan's Dependable Hoof Care, LLC, Lamb's Fresh Market, AgCountry Farm Credit Services, Crav'n Flavor, Mullins Cheese Retail Store, Nicolet Bank, Community College Alliance for Agriculture Advancement, Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin, Van Der Geest Dairy Cattle, Inc., Marathon County Farm Bureau Young Farmer and Agriculturist, Associated Milk Producers, Inc, Harter's Fox Valley Disposal, Kwik Trip, France Propane Service, Cropping Central LLC, American Asphalt of Wisconsin, Bayland Buildings, Inc., Athens Veterinary Service, Marathon Feed Inc., VES-Artex, Willow Springs Garden, E.L.M. Repair & Refrigeration, Sartori Cheese, Cloverbelt Credit Union, Riesterer & Schnell, Swiderski Equipment Inc., Wisconsin Farmers Union, Wisconsin Farm Technology Days, L & L Propane, County Ready Mix Corporation, Marathon County Farmers Union, Sugar Hill Sugar Bush, County Line Sugar Bush LLC, Festival Foods, Hy-Vee Wausau, Bank of Wisconsin, A & L Oil Inc, Andraschko Plumbing & Electric LLC, Rew Motors Inc, Dairy State Cheese, Marathon Cheese Corporation, Peter Trucking & Peter Grain, Vita Plus - Loyal, Bob's Dairy Supply, HAAS, INC., Gypsyville Maple Syrup, Cain Creek Maple Syrup, Klebenow's Sugar Bush, Farm First Dairy Cooperative, Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative, Seehafer Refrigeration, Northwoods Veterinary Service, S.C., Rocket Industrial, Fabick Rents, Nagel Dairy Farms LLC, EBJ Livestock Market, Inc., Freudenthal Manufacturing, River Country Co-op, Happy Hoofer Hoof Care LLC, Marathon County DHIA and Kingdom Haven Farm

06/08/2026

What looks like scrap wood can become a valuable product with the right technology. 🌲🪵

In NTC's Wood Science program, students are learning to use a finger joint assembler to turn short wood pieces that might otherwise be discarded into usable lumber. By applying glue and precisely joining the pieces together, they create longer, stronger boards that can be used for products like flooring, handrails, and more.

This process is widely used in the forest products industry because it increases yield, reduces waste, and helps manufacturers get the most value from every log. It's a great example of how innovation and sustainability go hand in hand.

06/05/2026

Here at the Wood Technology Center of Excellence we don’t just work with wood. We analyze it, engineer it, and occasionally yell at it.

06/03/2026

WAUSAU, Wis. (June 2, 2026) — CoVantage Cares Foundation has awarded a $7,500 grant to the Northcentral Technical College (NTC) Property Foundation to support the construction of Timberwolf Cabins, an innovative housing initiative at NTC’s Antigo Campus.

06/01/2026

From the classroom to the golf course, Wood Science students are putting their skills to work! 🏎️🔥

In this video, Wood Science students are laser engraving race cars that will be featured as giveaway items at our 12th Annual Golf Fore Scholarship Outing. Events like this help make a huge impact for our students, with every full-time student in the Wood Science Associate Degree program receiving $5,500 in scholarships throughout their time at NTC.

Scholarship support helps students focus on building hands-on skills, industry knowledge, and real-world experience that prepares them for successful careers in the forest products industry.
We’re proud to see students involved not only in the classroom and lab, but also in preparing for events that help support future generations of Wood Science students. ⛳

05/29/2026

Precision and consistency matter in manufacturing — and our Wood Science students are getting hands-on experience with both. 🏎️⚙️

In this video, an automated chop saw is being used to cut race car blanks for giveaway items that will be featured at our 12th Annual Golf Fore Scholarship Outing.

Using automated equipment like this allows products to be standardized quickly and accurately, ensuring every piece is cut to the same specifications while improving efficiency and workflow. These are the same types of manufacturing principles students use throughout the Wood Science program to prepare for careers in the forest products industry.

Every race car being produced also helps support student success, with proceeds from the golf outing funding scholarships for full-time Wood Science students at NTC. ⛳