There is a typographical error in the title of the article that appeared in Forest Products Journal 63(5/6):199–201 by Luis Meza, Arijit Sinha, and Jeffrey J. Morrell. The title should read Effect of Wetting during Construction on Properties of Douglas-Fir Plywood and Oriented Strandboard Flooring
The severe recession and the housing and lumber market collapse in the 2007 to 2011 period has led to increased interest in market diversification in an attempt to cushion the impact of market swings in the United States. An international market diversification strategy has been implemented by several lumber manufacturers in Oregon and Washington that allowed them to be well positioned to shift sales to the Asian market during this domestic lumber market collapse. By diversifying a portion of sales into new international markets, Montana sawmills may be able to stabilize demand for their products instead of being subject to domestic market demand swings. To determine if Montana sawmills can participate in the Chinese export market and to identify the best export opportunities, a strategic assessment was conducted through the use of a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis. For this process, Montana's lumber industry core competencies were identified and aligned with Chinese wood product demand to highlight potential export opportunities for the Montana sawmill industry. It was found that the optimal export opportunity consisted of dimension lumber from Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta), and ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) species with nominal 2 by 4 dimensions and with No. 3 utility and No. 4 economy product grades. This product mix provided the best fit with Montana's timber supply, manufacturing capabilities, and Chinese product demand. By incorporating this strategy with the help of international lumber brokers and experienced exporters, Montana sawmills will be well positioned to respond to domestic market fluctuations and future Chinese product demand opportunities.Abstract
This article examines increases in eastern hardwood sawtimber volume by species group and species, the utilization of sawtimber by species groups and important eastern species, the utilization of sawtimber by species group by subregion, and discusses issues that could impede future growth of the hardwood timber resource. Eastern hardwood sawtimber volume has nearly tripled between 1953 and 2011 with yellow-poplar, soft maple, ash, and cottonwood/aspen having the greatest increase. Ironically, the cottonwood/aspen group appears to be currently overutilized with relatively low net growth-to-harvest ratios, but this finding appears to be the result of a high volume of aspen stems being less than sawtimber size. In general, lower-value species, including other red oaks and sweetgum, are relatively overutilized and have growth-to-harvest ratios less than 2.0. By contrast, higher-value species, including select red oaks, select white oaks, and hard maple, are utilized at the level at which they are found in the timber inventory, and all have growth-to-harvest ratios greater than 2.0. These results may be reflective of the declining production of appearance-based hardwood products relative to less valuable industrial products in the last 5 years. While the growth in hardwood sawtimber on timberland has been substantial, there are several factors that could affect future growth, including nonnative disease and insect mortality, adversely high deer populations, and land conversion.Abstract
Energy costs have risen immensely over the past decade and have strained US industrial sectors. The forest products sector is considered an energy-intensive industry group, and energy use has an important impact on a sawmill's financial integrity. This research focuses on developing specific energy consumption profiles for the manufacture of common Appalachian hardwood lumber species. Process, production, and energy data were gathered by visiting three sawmill facilities in West Virginia. With this information, the specific energy consumption (SEC) for each mill, mill production component, and species was developed. The SEC of sawmills varied between 84 kWh per thousand board feet (MBF) to 111 kWh/MBF with an overall average of 100 kWh/MBF for the three sawmills. In general, results show that denser species consume more energy than less dense species, that the SEC of hard-hardwood lumber was 98 kWh/MBF, and that the soft-hardwood lumber was 92 kWh/MBF. The SEC of Sawmill 3 was significantly different from the SECs of the other two sawmills. Results also indicated that the SEC increases as the percentage of four-quarter lumber increases during a particular shift along with an increase in the energy consumption of chipper, head saw, and resaw. Conversely, SEC decreases as the percentage of cants and timbers sawn increases.Abstract
The effect of initial planting density (500, 1,000, 1,500, and 2,000 trees per ha) on tree growth, wood density, and wood anatomical properties was studied in a 9-year-old Heave brasiliensis plantation in Malaysia. Results showed that effects of initial planting density on tree radial growth, wood density, fiber length, fiber wall thickness, and ray density were more visible in trees planted at 500 trees per ha compared with the other planting densities. Bole length was significantly increased with higher planting densities. However, vessel density showed an infinite pattern with increasing planting density. For vessel and ray areas, no significant effect of initial planting density was detected. A negative relationship was observed between wood density, fiber length, and fiber wall thickness with planting density, bole length, and height-to-diameter ratio. The ray density was significantly and positively correlated with stand/tree features with the exception of a negative correlation with radial growth increment. The regression models with various degrees of goodness of fit indicated that wood density followed by fiber wall thickness was successfully quantified due to selected stand/tree features. According to the results of this study, it is recommended that a low planting density of 500 trees per ha is ideal for rubberwood plantation development.Abstract
Growth characteristics and basic wood properties of three native fast-growing species, terap (Artocarpus elasticus Reinw. ex Blume), medang (Neolitsea latifolia (Blume) S. Moore), and balik angin (Alphitonia excelsa (Fenzel) Reissek ex Benth), were investigated. All three species are grown in a secondary forest in South Kalimantan, Indonesia. No significant correlations between growth characteristics (stem diameter and tree height) and stress-wave velocity of the stems were found. The mean basic density (BD) for whole trees of terap, medang, and balik angin were 0.34, 0.55, and 0.39 g cm−3, respectively. The BD in medang wood was similar in both radial and longitudinal directions. On the other hand, the BD gradually increased from pith to bark, decreased from 1 to 3 m above the ground, and then gradually increased to the top of the tree in terap and balik angin. Significant positive correlations between radial and tangential shrinkages and BD were found. Compressive strength parallel to grain and air-dry density also showed high positive correlations for all species. Analysis of variance showed significant differences in wood properties among the five sample trees in each species.Abstract
This study determined the mechanical properties of nail-laminated (nail-lam) posts manufactured from reclaimed chromated copper arsenate (CCA)–treated decking lumber. Though CCA-treated lumber is no longer accepted for use in residential applications, it is permitted in agricultural and industrial applications where health and environmental impacts are deemed to be minimal. This project focused on the reuse potential of this lumber for fabricating structural nail-lam members commonly used in agricultural post frame utility buildings. Significant amounts of waste CCA-treated lumber are generated by people replacing decks. Currently, this lumber is mostly landfilled as disposal waste. Finding other uses for this discarded material could reduce the waste burden of decking removed from service each year. For this study, 15-year-old decking material slated for removal and composed of nominal 2 by 6 CCA-treated Southern yellow pine (SYP; Pinus spp.) lumber was carefully reclaimed for structural post member fabrications. Similar structural nail-lam posts were fabricated from new, micronized copper azole–treated SYP lumber for comparative test purposes. Three experimental treatments were evaluated to examine mechanical performance in terms of bending strength, flexural rigidity, and ultimate compressive strength. The comparative results show slightly lower flexural performance but equivalent or slightly higher compressive strength for structural post member fabrications when constructed from the supply of reclaimed decking material. These results help to demonstrate the technical feasibility or reuse potential of recycled decking for this type of second-generation application.Abstract
Mill residues obtained from wood processing industries are potentially important feedstocks for the wood-based bioenergy industry. Although many mills recognize the value of their residue as an integral fuel for energy production, some recent studies suggest that ample mill residues are available to expand wood-based bioenergy in United States. This study analyzed factors that influence the availability of residues from mills in Mississippi. Information pertaining to available residues from forest products industries in Mississippi was obtained by a mail survey instrument. Generalized least square and Tobit models were used to analyze the data. Results indicated that availability of residues was higher in primary wood processing manufacturers than secondary manufacturers and that feedstocks availability would be higher if wood-based bioenergy firms were located near larger, year-round, forest products industry operations. Residue availability may be constrained by lack of awareness regarding market opportunities for bioenergy products. The study results are useful for entrepreneurs interested in creating sustainable bioenergy production in Mississippi.Abstract
The objective of this study was to determine some of the mechanical properties of sandwich-type particleboard manufactured from rubberwood (Hevea brasilenesis) and Eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginiana). A total of 36 panels with two density levels of 0.65 and 0.75 g/cm3 were made using 10 percent urea-formaldehyde, a combination of 3 percent urea-formaldehyde and 10 percent cassava starch, and 10 percent cassava starch, respectively, as a binder. Three-layer panels with rubberwood fibers on the face layers and a mixture of 10 percent Eastern redcedar and 90 percent rubberwood particles in the core layer of the panels were manufactured. The highest modulus of elasticity, modulus of rupture, and internal bond strength values of 2,990, 34.72, and 1.09 MPa, respectively, were found for those panels made with 10 percent urea-formaldehyde having a density of 0.75 g/cm3. Panels made with 10 percent starch did not have satisfactory mechanical properties and dimensional stability according to Japanese Industrial Standards. However, it seems that a mixture of a low percentage of urea-formaldehyde resin with cassava starch would be a viable alternative binder to manufacture particleboard with acceptable mechanical properties and enhanced surface quality.Abstract