About

Dr. Robert "Bob" Bush is a Professor and Graduate Program Director in the Department of Sustainable Biomaterials at Virginia Tech, located at the Brooks Forest Products Center in Blacksburg, VA. His work involves two related areas: forest products and packaging, within which he studies marketing and related business functions. He emphasizes that most students will be employed in positions requiring an understanding and application of business concepts, and he incorporates experiential learning opportunities into his courses to facilitate this. Dr. Bush enjoys working with both undergraduate and graduate students. He holds a B.S. from the University of Minnesota (1984), an M.S. from Virginia Tech (1986), and a Ph.D. from Virginia Tech (1989). His areas of expertise include marketing, competitive strategy, capital budgeting and decision making, structural characteristics of wood-based industries, and packaging as a marketing function. He teaches courses such as Principles of Packaging, Packaging Systems Design Practices, and Professional Skills for SBIO Graduate Students. His research and teaching philosophy focus on integrating practical, hands-on experiences to enhance student learning in the fields of forest products and packaging.

Research topics

• Business
• Engineering
• Environmental science
• Marketing
• Waste management

Selected publications

• Empirical analysis of the links between China’s forest product imports and tropical forest loss

  The International Forestry Review · 2026-03-01

  articleSenior author

  China’s forest product imports have surged over the past two decades, fueled by robust economic growth and an inadequate domestic timber supply. Many observers highlight the large and expanding trade volume as a significant driver of deforestation and forest degradation, especially in tropical regions. This research investigates the relationship between China’s imports of wood-based forest product and tropical forest loss. A positive relationship between China’s imports of wood-based forest products and the forest loss was found across all tropical countries, except those in Latin America. Additionally, land conversion to agricultural production and pasture for livestock are important drivers of the forest loss. The results provide insight into the complex policy, environmental and economic factors influencing tropical forest loss and the role of China’s demand for tropical forest products. This research offers valuable guidance for the Chinese government in crafting balanced policies that protect domestic forests while addressing tropical forest loss.

  PublisherDOI

• The influence of stretch wrap containment force on load bridging in unit loads

  Packaging Technology and Science · 2018-08-01 · 8 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  The term “load bridging” describes a phenomenon in which the physical interaction between various packaging components acts as a series of discrete loads in a given unit load and adds stiffness to the shipping pallet/load combination. Current pallet design practices often ignore the aspect of load bridging and assume that the pallet payload is flexible and uniformly distributed over the pallet surface. This can influence the load‐carrying capacity of the pallet. The study reported in this paper investigated the relationship between the stretch wrap containment force and load bridging in unit loads and the resulting unit‐load deflection. The experimental results of this study indicate that an increase in the stretch wrap containment force can improve the unit‐load deflection by as much as 81%. The influence of the stretch wrap containment force on pallet deflection is greatest for small packages and pallets with low stiffness. These experimental results provide useful information for realizing more efficient and sustainable unit‐load designs.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Life Cycle Inventory Analysis of the Wood Pallet Repair Process in the United States

  Journal of Industrial Ecology · 2017-08-26 · 17 citations

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• The Influence of Package Size and Flute Type of Corrugated Boxes on Load Bridging in Unit Loads

  Packaging Technology and Science · 2017-01-01 · 16 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Shipping pallets often are designed with the assumption that the payload carried is flexible and uniformly distributed on the pallet surface. However, packages on the pallet can act as a series of discrete loads, and the physical interactions among the packages can add stiffness to the pallet/load combination. The term ‘load bridging’ has been used to describe this phenomenon. The study reported in this paper investigated the relationships of package size, corrugated flute type and pallet stiffness to load bridging and the resulting unit‐load deflection. The experimental results indicated that an increase in box size changed the unit‐load deflection by as much as 75%. Flute type was found to impact load bridging and the resulting unit‐load deflection. Changing the corrugated box flute type from B‐flute or BC‐flute to E‐flute reduces the unit‐load deflection by as much as 40%. Also, experimental data indicates that the effect of package size and corrugated board flute type on pallet deflection is the greatest for low stiffness pallets. The results provide information that can be used to design unit loads that use material more efficiently. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Process Methods and Levels of Automation of Wood Pallet Repair in the United States

  BioResources · 2016-06-30 · 4 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  This study documented the current status of wood pallet repair in the United States by identifying the types of processing and equipment usage in repair operations from an automation perspective. The wood pallet repair firms included in the study received an average of approximately 1.28 million cores (i.e., used pallets) for recovery in 2012. A majority of the cores received were stringer-style pallets. The most common pallet size received and repaired was 48 x 40 inch. The most commonly used stringer repair method was the application of companion stringers. It was found that most firms utilized high levels of manual labor, with limited machinery support. The board trimming and pallet sorting/stacking processes had the highest level of automation, while the inspection, nailing, and painting processes utilized manual labor.

  PublisherDOI

• Lessons Learned in Design and Commissioning of Digester Gas CHP Energy Recovery Projects in a Design/Build Project Delivery Environment

  Proceedings of the Water Environment Federation · 2012-01-01

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Hardwoods in U.S. wood pallet production

  2011-01-01

  article1st authorCorresponding

  Research indicates that in 2006, 7.26 billion board feet (approximately 17.1 million m) of new solid wood was utilized by the U.S. wood pallet and container manufacturing industry. During the same year, the study estimates that 5.09 billion board feet (approximately 12.0 million m) were recovered mostly from used pallets for reuse and recycling. This paper reports the results of a series of studies, conducted over 14 years, on the use of wood by the U.S. wood pallet and container industry. This manuscript presents data estimating the volumes of new wooden materials, separated by hardwoods and softwoods, used by the U.S. wood pallet and container industry. In fact, the U.S. wood pallet and container industry is a major consumer of hardwoods in the U.S. This manuscript also provides information on the treatment of pallets for international shipments by U.S. wood pallet and container manufacturers to reduce the spread of disease and invasive insects.

  Publisher

• U.S. wood pallet material use trends

  2010-01-01 · 3 citations

  article
  Publisher

• Pallet re-use and recycling saves high value material from landfills

  2010-01-01 · 1 citations

  articleSenior author

  Continued on page 10 Pallets move the world. In the United States, an estimated 4 billion pallets are in daily service. Nationwide, on an annual basis, an estimated 441 million new pallets are manufactured and 357 million pallets are repaired or rebuilt from discarded pallets. Manufacturing these pallets consumes more than seven billion bd ft1 of lumber annually, roughly two-thirds hardwoods2. This makes the pallet industry the single most important user of hardwood lumber (by volume) in North America.

  Publisher

• Reports show fewer pallets entering landfills

  2010-01-01 · 1 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding
  Publisher

Frequent coauthors

• Philip A. Araman

  Virginia Tech

  49 shared

• Steven A. Sinclair

  9 shared

• Robert L. Smith

  8 shared

• Vijay S. Reddy

  8 shared

• Daniel L. Schmoldt

  5 shared

• James L. Chamberlain

  University of Warwick

  5 shared

• A.L. Hammett

  Virginia Tech

  5 shared

• Jonghun Park

  Toronto Metropolitan University

  4 shared

Labs

• Sustainable BiomaterialsPI