Forest product industry timber production

The forest products industry encompasses a broad spectrum of operations which range from the raismg of trees, through cutting and removing the timber, to complete utilization of the wood residue (17). 

Wood has been used by mankind for millennia because of its excellent material properties. Although the use of timber in some markets has decreased, the consumption of timber overall continues to rise. Projections have been made until the middle of the 21st century that in most cases show a rise in demand for timber (in all but low economic growth models) and an increase in production (Figure 1.7) (Brooks etal., 1996). There is, however, concern that the supply of timber for industrial purposes may not be able to match demand. For example, Bowyer etal. (2003), note that there will be a shortfall in the amount of forest area providing industrial timber by the year 2100, due to the rise in human population during this time (Table 1.4). 

Wellons JD, Krahmer RL, Sandoe MD and Jokerst RW (1983) Thickness loss in hot-pressed plywood. Forest Products Journal, 55(1) 27-34 Welzbacher CR and Rapp AO (2002) Comparison of thermally modified wood originating from four industrial scale processes - durability. International Research Group on Wood Preservation. Document No. IRG/WP 02-20262 Wengert EM (1979) Lumber predrying a timely examination. Timber Process Industries, 4(9) 20-24... 

CPPA is primarily a trade association of that part of the forest products industry producing paper and its intermediates. This is an industry of great concern and value to Canada. Tremendous stands of timber are found in most provinces, particularly in British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec, and three of the four Atlantic provinces. The pulping process and the formation of paper are chemical engineering operations. Probably because of the lack of a suitable medium for the exchange of technical information in its field in Canada, the CPPA formed the Technical Section in 1915. It has maintained an active information transfer program ever since. 

Most of the recent efforts to develop uses for the condensed tannins have centered on their application in wood adhesives. Reviews by Pizzi (182, 186) and others (15, 78, 87, 93, 208) provide references to several hundred papers and patents on this subject. Despite world-wide research efforts on other sources of tannins, particularly since the 1972-1973 petroleum shortage, the mimosa or wattle tannins extracted from the bark of black wattle Acacia mearnsii) remain the major source of condensed tannins exploited commercially for adhesive manufacture. Of the approximately 100000 tons of wattle tannin produced annually, only about 10000 tons are used in wood adhesives, predominantly in South Africa but also in Australia and New Zealand (186). The extensive use of wattle tannins by the wood products industry of South Africa is impressive indeed, as these tannins have partly replaced phenol and resorcinol usage in adhesives for bonding of particleboard, plywood, and laminated timbers (182, 186, 213). Three factors have contributed to the success in use of wattle tannin-based adhesives, namely the comparatively high costs of phenol and resorcinol in the Southern Hemisphere, their resorcinolic functionality and low molecular weight and, perhaps most importantly, the commitment by the research and industrial communities of these countries to reduce the reliance of the forest products industry on petroleum-based adhesives. 

The forest products industry, therefore, is an industry that could be thorou ily interwoven into the community in which it is located. As an illustration, the following extracts adapted from the 1997 AssiDoman company report regarding its corporate environmental objectives are included here. Further understanding of this material is evident by reading the sections on Environmental Economics and Pulp and Paper and the total material summaries, the material on the contemporary forest and timber industry, and the packaging materials production data in this section. 

The use of forest resources as a feedstock for industrial uses is long established and is, in a sense, superior to the use of agricultural crops, since the supply can be guaranteed well into the future and can be obtained throughout the year, unlike seasonal crops. Although this book is concerned with one small aspect of timber utilization, it should be noted that forest resources can also be used to provide feedstocks for many industrial products, including chemicals. 

Vinden P and Torgnikov G (2002) Microwave conditioning of woodfor combined drying and preservative treatment. Timber Preservation 2002 technology and product opportunities to improve performance. Forest Industry Engineering Association, Rotorua, New Zealand, 7 p... 

Nowadays, our wood and furniture can be sourced from all over the world. Softwoods such as pine may come from the forests of northern Europe or Russia tropical hardwoods like teak and mahogany from Africa, Brazil, or Asia. Unfortunately, much of the global timber industry is currently unsustainable. Virgin forests are being clearcut, and plantations are much less valuable for wildlife than the forests they are replacing. Using wood carefully, without waste, is a way of treating this natural product with the respect it deserves. 

About 740 million acres or 33 percent of the land area of the United States is classified as forest land. In order to be classified as forest, at least 10 percent of the land must be stocked with trees of any size. Also in this category are lands that formerly had tree cover but have not been developed for other purposes, as well as lands whose primary use is not timber production. Nearly two-thirds of this area, or 488 million acres, is classified as commercial forest land. Commercial forests are defined as forested land capable of producing at least 20 cubic feet of industrial wood per acre per year, and is not reserved for uses which are incompatible with timber production (6). Thus. National Parks, wilderness areas, and other special use areas are not included in this category. 

Though Finland lacked deposits of coal, oil and many minerals, it did possess natural resources suitable for chemical production. In the 1910s, a new, rich copper mine at Outokumpu was opened its ore contained sulphur pyrites, among other things. However, the most valuable resources for the chemical industry were timber and water power. Processing staple wood products gave the forest industries opportunities to extract various chemicals as byproducts. Hydroelectricity was a new energy source for the electrochemical industries at the time. 

The involvement of renewable resources in production of chemicals is one of the pillars of green chemistry. Russia has the world s largest forest reserves, situated mainly in the north of Russia, in Siberia and Far East. The timber industry is very important for Russia and could be used as a platform to start green technologies, and therefore the GCE in these regions makes emphasis on biomass transformation. 

Tree plantations are not a natural ecosystem and they are, therefore, also sometimes known as man-made forests or tree farms. Tree plantations generally utilize fast-growing trees either to replace already logged forest trees or to substitute their absence. The plantations include hybrid trees or genetically modified trees. They involve trees of industrial importance, for example, pine, spruces, and eucalyptus, because of their fast growth rate and good properties for paper and timber production. Eucalyptus plantations have been developed vastly for the last 30 years in subtropical and tropical zones [66-68]. 

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