How will the wood sector respond to competition from other materials?

Recent developments and future prospects in wood processing.

Technical innovations in wood processing in the second half of the twentieth century focused
on optimizing the utilization of woods from temperate and boreal forests, responding to more
sophisticated market segments. In particular, this meant keeping pace with increasing
competition from other materials, such as plastics, metals and concrete. As a result, the
forest industry is now in a position to supply high-quality products, such as standardized
sawnwood of constant, guaranteed quality, composite boards, glued and laminated wood and
engineered wood products. In some particularly important sectors of application, such as
construction, advances in structural gluing techniques have allowed wood to improve its
image to such an extent that it can compete with concrete and steel.
Sawing of a tropical log
- Cirad-Fort/B. Parant

The development of new technology has often led to a redistribution of market shares within
the sector. For example, wood-based panels made from particles or fibres have partly
replaced traditional plywood markets as well as solid wood elements in certain furniture
sectors. Similarly, medium-density fibreboard (MDF) has replaced the traditional particle
board - and indeed solid wood - in many furniture applications. Oriented strand board (OSB)
has taken over part of the plywood market for structural uses in construction. Although this is
mostly a case of intramaterial redistribution of market segments, it is likely that these
innovations have allowed wood to retain parts of the market that it would otherwise probably
have lost to competing materials.

This article examines recent innovations that have helped the wood sector retain its share of
the market until now, and follows on to predict further technological advances that will help
keep wood competitive with other materials in the future.
In this regard, it should also be mentioned that the competitiveness of wood depends on its
recognition by the public as a renewable and ecologically acceptable material. It is therefore
essential that research be disseminated which demonstrates that if operations are properly
conducted, felling to obtain timber is not a factor in deforestation. Such research includes
studies on post-logging regeneration, low-impact logging techniques, the role of the growth
dynamics of forests in carbon storage and the effect of logging on these dynamics, the life
cycle of products and the impact of their lifetime on the carbon cycle.

RECENT AND FUTURE INNOVATIONS AND ADVANCES

Sawmilling and various machining processes
The most notable recent and expected advances in sawmilling and machining concern
productivity gains obtained through mechanization, boosted by the introduction of computersupported manufacturing processes.
In traditional sawmilling, human judgement was used to obtain the best possible yields from
the material. With modern techniques, cutting patterns are optimized on the basis of the
qualitative and quantitative collection of data concerning inputs, which is made possible by
the development of increasingly refined sensors of form, defects and irregularities. The data
are then analysed in terms of the demands to be met, the state of stocks upstream and
downstream of the work position, and priorities based on the product's rate of return.
Products are produced following specific client orders in a relatively short delivery time, with
stocks kept low. The development of these techniques allows considerable improvements in
product quality and business competitiveness.
On-line control of sawmilling operations has recently been developed, often using visible,
infrared or X-ray imaging techniques. For example, sawmilling machinery is increasingly
equipped with sensors, such as lasers, that take account of the tool's behaviour or the
blade's passage through the wood in order to assist and optimize manual control. With the
recent arrival of new tools resulting from dynamic analysis and acoustic control techniques,
the development of very economical sensors can be envisaged for the structural
classification of woods, and even for the detection and pinpointing of certain defects or
irregularities. Thus it is possible to foresee quality control based on classification by a variety
of criteria such as size, the number of acceptable defects, colour, aesthetic properties and
dryness. The extent to which these various criteria will be considered depends on the size of
the company, the type of raw material and the market sector. Woods with a high level of
irregularities (e.g. knots in softwoods) have already benefited from the application of this
technology, which is becoming widespread in countries where the softwood industry is
predominant. Processing of conventional tropical hardwoods can benefit only marginally from
this technology because these woods are not subject to major defects such as knots.
However, the technologies could be of great interest in tropical regions for the processing,
grading and quality control of timber from plantations, such as eucalypts or tropical pines.

Further developments are expected mainly in the areas of data and information gathering on
the milled product in both primary and secondary processing, and in the area of interactive
quality control of the process through analysis of the main parameters, such as surface
quality or precision of sawing. It will also be possible to reduce significantly the noise
pollution produced by saws, while changes in these sounds can be used to determine the
condition of the blades and possibly to guide cutting parameters such as feed speed.
In surface machining (planing, moulding, etc.) there is a trend towards very high-speed
machining, which can give a surface quality similar to that produced by sanding, while
speeding up the work. Until recently, the rotational critical speed, related to the first mode of
blade vibration, seemed to be an insurmountable obstacle for turning machinery, but rotation
speeds between the first and second critical speeds can now be envisaged, thanks
especially to advances in tensioning and computer-run saw-guides.
Complex multi-axial machining systems carrying out multiple simultaneous operations, such
as the "work centres" available in the furniture industry, are gaining ground, as a result of
developments in felling equipment, the widespread use of diamonds and the increased use
of ceramics. These new cutting materials make it possible to adapt the tool's wear resistance
to the high cutting speeds of such equipment and lengthen the use between sharpenings.
In veneering, automatic log-centring devices allow gains in time and, hence, in material. As in
sawing, vibration or sound sensors will allow interactive control of veneering machines based
on analysis of their performance. Furthermore, peripheral drive has made it possible to use
very small-diameter logs and to reduce peeler cores to a few centimetres. On-line control
systems, defect sensors, etc. also allow optimization of certain stages, such as wet clipping
while the product and its various components are monitored during manufacture.
The wear resistance of the steel used for blades and pressure bars will be improved by
nitriding (the deposition of thin, extremely hard layers, possibly using plasma torches) and
associated techniques.
Research on jet cutting techniques (using lasers, water jets, etc.) will very probably remain
marginal in the timber sector. The use of lasers is likely to be of interest only in the case of
complex forms of machining (cutting rather than planing) or non-edge cutting in thicknesses
of less than 40 mm. Conventional machining systems using chip removal methods are still by
far the most cost-effective for all straight-edge cutting, and are likely to remain so.
Dry veneers emerging from a roller drier in Zimbabwe; in the future, vibration
or sound sensors will allow interactive control of veneering machines
- FAO/20282/G. Diana

Drying
At present, the most widely used drying technique is based on temperature and humidity
control with forced ventilation. The low-temperature kiln dryer, which saw its hour of glory in
the 1970s, has been almost abandoned as being too slow and entailing high risks of
deterioration for fragile woods. High-temperature drying (at over 100 C), developed mainly
for softwoods and some lighter hardwoods, tends to be unsuitable for solid hardwoods.
The following technologies are now being developed for drying hardwood species that
present difficulties and dry particularly slowly:

vacuum drying with superheated steam - the most effective of vacuum technologies;

high-frequency heating followed by a vacuum cycle - particularly recommended for

thicker pieces.

Advances in modelling will allow the development of more effective and, above all, more
reliable control methods. Continuous measurement of changes in the moisture level of wood,
above the fibre saturation point, during the drying process is still a difficult technical problem.
The absence of a reliable method of measuring high moisture content rates, other than
weighing either the wood stacks or test samples, under industrial conditions considerably
limits the effectiveness of the most recent generation of monitoring techniques, especially
during the first steps of the drying process. Ultrasound and high frequency are among the
avenues currently under research.
Wood treatment and preservation
The environmental impact of existing preservation processes has considerably hampered the
development of new chemical approaches. The European directive on the use of biocides will
further limit both the number of active substances used in preservation and their fields of
application. Over the last decade, many pesticides have been removed from the market, and
industrialized countries have banned some well-known families of products such as
creosotes and pentachlorophenols.
There is also much debate on aqueous-phase heavy-metal-based products of chrome or
copper combined with arsenic or boron, which are used to improve durability. Since there is

no real substitute for these products, a definitive ban could put an end to the outdoor use of
the species in most common use today.
Solvents used as a medium for active materials have been developed considerably, and
emulsion systems have been refined for non-water-soluble substances.
In addition to the development and refinement of preservative products with a low
environmental impact, many lines of research on the margins of preservation chemistry are
being pursued and are likely to find alternative solutions. These include the following:

the development of construction systems favouring "passive" preservation (i.e.

systems that eliminate permanent contacts between water and wooden structures)
and/or using naturally durable species, of which the majority are tropical;

the use of natural insect-repellent or anti-appetant substances from tree species that
have natural resistance to certain insects, particularly termites;

the combination of durable with non-durable woods in new materials or products;

very high temperature treatment using hot air or a heat-conducting fluid, possibly
followed by a treatment bath;

chemical processes such as acetylation to make wood hydrophobic, polyethylene

glycol treatment and grafting of inert molecules on to the hydroxide bonds of
cellulose;

resin impregnation procedures followed by accelerated polymerization and possibly

preceded by thermo-plastification deformation cycles.

The most advanced and probably the most innovative lines of research concern the use of:

bacteria capable of destroying certain insects or fungi;

hormones that upset pest growth factors, especially insect ecdysis.

The identification of genes responsible for the natural durability of particular species could, in
a more distant future, make it possible to modify the intrinsic durability of certain species
through genetic modification. Such advances will depend to a large extent on the
international debate on genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
Gluing and coating products
The development of chemical products has been affected by the need to take account of the
effects of volatile organic compounds on human health and the environment. In the glue
sector, the main innovations have concerned the development of low-formol products, in line
with changing regulations. The sector now has an extremely wide range of specific products
that meet both the technical demands of use conditions and the demands arising from issues
of industrial implementation. Available products range from hot-melt to hot-hardening glues,
with a whole gamut of intermediate products. New developments include glues for
greenwood, glues for rough sawnwood with thick joints, and electromagnetic waveaccelerated polymerization technologies (high-frequency, microwave, etc.).

In finishing, problems arising from the use of organic solvents have been partially solved by
the development of products with a high content of dry extracts or by the refinement of waterbased systems in the paint and stain sector. Research is also being carried out on products
such as radiation-polymerizable products and powdered products that do not use solvents.
The lifetime of exterior facing systems has been improved by the addition of anti-ultraviolet
(UV) components, improvements in the visco-elastic behaviour of films and slowing in the
physicochemical degradation of existing products.
The main handicap in the exterior use of wood, however, is that the physical appearance still
deteriorates too quickly. Research has shown the primary role played by the species selected
in the lifetime of a finishing system; this lifetime can be doubled by the use of certain species.
Research is focusing increasingly on this subject and investigating the performance of
species-product combinations. Other work suggests that, in due course, it will be possible to
coat wood-based materials with metallic materials such as copper, aluminium and zinc, or
with carbon-based "diamond" coating.
The main developments in the future could concern improvements in the productivity of
finishing procedures through the development of single-coat products to replace the classic
system of three successive coats. Regarding associated technologies, haze application
systems that make it possible to obtain thin and very homogeneous coatings could come to
the fore. Flat composites could see the development of powder finishing techniques. The use
of electromagnetic wave devices could be expanded to speed up the drying of finishes in
secondary processing industries, especially the furniture sector.
Composites and reconstituted wood
The past 30 years have seen the development of many types of board in response to two
main demands on the part of the furniture and construction sectors - for thin flat materials
and for large areas of board. Plywood was the first response to these requirements, but its
manufacture required the use of high-quality wood (well-formed, cylindrical logs, straight
trunks, etc.). Fibreboard and particle board produced from defibrated or fragmented wood do
not require these qualities, and allow an optimal use of forest subproducts such as timber
from coppicing or from thinnings, or residues from the processing of solid wood. Variations in
the type of glue used, and in the size, shape and orientation of the particles, allow the
production of board with a wide range of different properties to meet the technical and
economic requirements of any application.
Research is likely to develop in two main directions:

prior physical and chemical treatment of particles to give them desirable properties
such as regularity of size and natural durability;

chemical treatment to help particles stick to one another, allowing the manufacture of
board without the addition of glue.

Plastic-wood composites should also see interesting developments. These allow the
recovery of fine residues such as sawdust. Sawdust, when mixed with plastic in a proportion
of up to 50 percent, produces materials that are mechanically more resistant than basic
plastics, as well as being partially biodegradable.

The normal techniques used in manufacturing reconstituted elements from offcuts or smallsized pieces continue to be developed, particularly in relatively unindustrialized countries, as
alternatives to the use of waste in situations where fibre or particle composites are not a valid
option.
Heavy demand for wood as construction material will contribute to the growth
of specific needs for technological innovation in certain tropical regions - here,
a wood-shingle house in Iles du Salut, French Guyana
- Cirad-Fort/E. Loffeier