Quick Dips

Green Light for Greenweld

The NZ Forest Research Institute's Greenweld system, used to produce commercially viable timber from short lengths of green wood, has received a commercial boost. ICI is taking up an exclusive license for the process.

In conventional operations, timber is first dried before the defects are cut out and the fault-free lengths finger-jointed together for a variety of high-value end uses.

"Greenwelded" timber, on the other hand, is checked for defects prior to drying. High-energy use kilns can be loaded to maximum capacity with long, fully saleable lengths of quality product. There is no need to waste energy drying material that will be rejected. In addition, the process increases productivity by making use of otherwise-useless short lengths of timber.

"Major users of the technology in Australia and New Zealand report significant commercial benefits to their operations," says Dr Russell Burton, manager of NZ FRI's Wood Products Division.

"Some of these companies are now turning what was once waste wood bound for the chipper into high quality product worth up to $350 a cubic metre. In today's highly competitive international markets there is no room for waste."

Under the terms of the license, ICI will pay a royalty to NZ FRI for every cubic metre of timber produced using the Greenweld process.