A lumber grading and wood products inspection expert witness with more than 45 years of professional experience in lumber grading, wood product evaluation, and structural lumber inspection. This expert’s work centers on the analysis of lumber grade compliance, wood product performance, and structural applications of softwood materials used in construction and industrial settings. For more than 40 years, the expert has provided consultation, deposition testimony, and courtroom testimony in matters involving lumber grading, structural lumber failures, and inspection of wood products used in construction and scaffolding systems.

Professional experience includes founding and leading a lumber inspection and certification organization accredited by the American Lumber Standard Committee to provide grading and grade-stamping services across multiple North American lumber grade rules and softwood species groups. In this leadership role, the expert has overseen inspection services, grade supervision, and certification programs for heat treatment of lumber and wood packaging materials under the internationally recognized IPPC phytosanitary program. The expert has also served as a voting member of the American Lumber Standard Committee and as a participant on ASTM Committee D07 addressing wood standards and practices.

Earlier roles include serving as manager and later vice president of the lumber division of a national lumber inspection agency, where responsibilities included rebuilding and managing grading operations, implementing quality assurance systems, and maintaining accreditation standards for lumber grading and inspection programs. Prior field work included serving as a field representative for the American Lumber Standards Committee inspecting lumber at sawmills and lumberyards across the United States and Canada. Additional early career experience included forestry and timber procurement roles involving harvest planning, forestry management, and wood resource oversight.

The expert’s inspection and consulting history includes participation in approximately 85 litigation-related matters involving lumber grading disputes, scaffold plank failures, truss failures, and other structural wood product issues. These engagements include at least 18 depositions and at least 13 trial appearances addressing lumber grade compliance, structural performance, decay and moisture conditions, and inspection of lumber used in construction systems.

Educational background includes a Bachelor of Science degree in Forest Management. The expert is fluent in English and Spanish and has provided inspection services and professional consultations involving wood products and lumber grading standards across domestic and international markets.