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A Hatton-Brown Publication

Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc. Street Address: 225 Hanrick Street Montgomery, AL 36104-3317 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 2268 Montgomery, AL 36102-2268 Telephone: 334.834.1170 FAX: 334.834.4525

Volume 46 • Number 10 • November 2021 Founded in 1976 • Our 479th Consecutive Issue

Publisher: David H. Ramsey Chief Operating Officer: Dianne C. Sullivan Editor-in-Chief: Rich Donnell Senior Editor: Dan Shell Senior Associate Editor: David Abbott Senior Associate Editor: Jessica Johnson Associate Editor: Patrick Dunning Publisher/Editor Emeritus: David (DK) Knight Art Director/Prod. Manager: Cindy Segrest Ad Production Coordinator: Patti Campbell Circulation Director: Rhonda Thomas Online Content/Marketing: Jacqlyn Kirkland Classified Advertising: Bridget DeVane • 334.699.7837 800.669.5613 • bdevane7@hotmail.com Advertising Sales Representatives: Southern USA Randy Reagor P.O. Box 2268 Montgomery, AL 36102-2268 904.393.7968 • FAX: 334.834.4525 E-mail: reagor@bellsouth.net

Renew or subscribe on the web: www.timberprocessing.com

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NEWSFEED

Industry Loses a Great One

SUNDANCE LUMBER

Sawmilling For Timbers

SECOND LOOK

Westervelt’s New Sawmill In Thomasville

DRY KILNS

The More The Merrier In Dry Kilns

MACHINERY ROW

Project Orders Keep Coming

PRODUCT SCANNER 10

New Butt Reducer Hits Market

MAIN EVENTS

Next Year Is Looming Large

COVER: Oregon’s Sundance Lumber pursues high quality

timbers as a niche market producer while developing overall mill improvment plan for the future. Story begins on PAGE 16.

(Dan Shell photo)

Midwest USA, Eastern Canada John Simmons 32 Foster Cres.

Whitby, Ontario, Canada L1R 1W1 905.666.0258 • FAX: 905.666.0778 E-mail: jsimmons@idirect.com

VISIT OUR WEBSITE: www.timberprocessing.com Member Verified Audit Circulation

Western USA, Western Canada Tim Shaddick 4056 West 10th Avenue Vancouver BC Canada V6L 1Z1 604.910.1826 • FAX: 604.264.1367 E-mail: tootall1@shaw.ca Kevin Cook 604.619.1777 E-mail: lordkevincook@gmail.com

International Murray Brett 58 Aldea de las Cuevas, Buzon 60 03759 Benidoleig (Alicante), Spain Tel: +34 96 640 4165 • + 34 96 640 4048 E-mail: murray.brett@abasol.net

Timber Processing (ISSN 0885-906X, USPS 395-850) is published 11 times annually (monthly except Jan./Feb.) by Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc., 225 Hanrick St., Montgomery, AL 36104. Subscription Information—TP is free to qualified owners, operators, managers, purchasing agents, supervisors, foremen and other key personnel at sawmills, pallet plants, chip mills, treating plants, specialty plants, lumber finishing operations, corporate industrial woodlands officials and machinery manufacturers and distributors in the U.S. All non-qualified U.S. Subscriptions are $55 annually: $65 in Canada; $95 (Airmail) in all other countries (U.S. Funds).

Single copies, $5 each; special issues, $20 (U.S. funds). Subscription Inquiries— TOLL-FREE: 800-6695613; Fax 888-611-4525. Go to www.timberprocessing.com and click on the subscribe button to subscribe/renew via the web. All advertisements for Timber Processing magazine are accepted and published

by Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc. with the understanding that the advertiser and/or advertising agency are authorized to publish the entire contents and subject matter thereof. The advertiser and/or advertising agency will defend, indemnify and hold any claims or lawsuits for libel violations or right of privacy or publicity, plagiarism, copyright or trademark infringement and any other claims or lawsuits that may arise out of publication of such advertisement. Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc. neither endorse nor makes any representation or guarantee as to the quality of goods and services advertised in Timber Processing. Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc. reserves the right to reject any advertisement which it deems inappropriate. Copyright ® 2021. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without written permission is prohibited. Periodicals postage paid at Montgomery, Ala. and at additional mailing offices. Printed in U.S.A.

Postmaster: Please send address changes to Timber Processing, P.O. Box 2419, Montgomery, Alabama 36102-2419 Other Hatton-Brown publications: Timber Harvesting • Southern Loggin’ Times Wood Bioenergy • Panel World • Power Equipment Trade

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THEISSUES

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Rich Donnell Editor-in-Chief

SAWMILL INDUSTRY IS STILL IN A SPRINT

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he numbing noise of nothingness. I’m referring to those times in the lumber market cycle when profits don’t exist and pessimism takes hold.

Anybody in the lumber industry who has some age on them has lived through it a time or two, or 10. It’s when we at the magazine have to scramble to find news and stories to fill the pages.

We have a young man going on three years with our staff. He saw a little market softness when he started, but it’s been boom times ever since. We tell him, it won’t always be like this. It can pose a similar problem for us. When markets are down, many companies don’t want to show and tell. When markets are great, they’re too busy to take the time. Not all of them react this way, of course, which is why we continue to feed you sawmill stories in each issue.

One thing about the good times—I suppose because companies are rolling in the dough—is the frantic pace of transactions and project announcements. Just take this issue of Timber Processing for example: West Fraser buys the new Angelina Forest Products sawmill in Lufkin, Tex. Georgia-Pacific plans to build a new sawmill at its facility in Pineland, Texas. Out West, WKO Industries acquires SDS Lumber and its sawmill in Bingen, Wash. Westervelt and Roseburg both add to their timberland holdings. Overseas, binderholz Group (they use a lowercase “b” in their name) purchases Great Britain’s largest sawmill company, BSW Timber. Even the suppliers are getting into the action, as USNR and Wood Fiber Group announce a merger of their companies. The term “merger” can mean different things but this appears to be a true coming together of the companies. And if you’ve been reading the recent issues of Timber Processing, you’re very aware of the numerous other sawmill projects in the works.

Speaking of sawmill news, if you receive the printed versions of Timber Processing, you may also receive in your email the Timber Processing newsletter every month. This is the second year we’ve been producing it and it is being well received.

We all find lots of newsletters in our emails and they share a lot of the same news that has been released by the sawmill companies. We run that news as well, but we try to expand on it a little bit to give it more context. West Fraser may announce it is buying Angelina Forest Products, and a dozen newsletters have the announcement, but our editors have been to the mill and written about it and we can add a little more substance to the announcement. GP may be building a mill at Pineland, but we provide a little information on how GP originally came into the Pineland site and what sawmill activity has been going on there through the years. Then there’s the situation in Arizona, where the Forest Service and the state are trying to build a wood products industry infrastructure, through new sawmills, OSB plants, biomass plants and timber harvesting thinnings. We also have newsletters for our logging, biomass and panel industry magazines, so we’re writing a slightly different version of that story for each of those newsletters and each of those magazines, constantly updating each version along the way.

We’re enjoying the hectic pace of transactions while we can. It requires our editors to dig a little deeper and put in a few more hours, but it beats the alternative: the numbing noise of nothingness.

TP Contact Rich Donnell, ph: 334-834-1170; fax 334-834-4525; e-mail: rich@hattonbrown.com TIMBER PROCESSING

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NEWSFEED

INDUSTRY PATRIARCH VARN PASSES

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eorge W. Varn, Sr., who broke into the family turpentine business following World War II, and then along with a cousin built a chip mill and a sawmill in the late 1960s in Hoboken, Ga., called Varn Wood Products, and who became one of the patriarchs of the southern pine lumber industry, died September 4 in St. Vincent’s Hospital in Jacksonville, Fla., the same hospital in which he was born December 1, 1920. He was 100, fast approaching 101.

He lived a varied and accomplished life, and his verve and charm will be missed by all who knew him.

For 40 years, Varn regularly expanded and upgraded the sawmill, personally engineering and overseeing equipment installation with exquisite detail. “I remember hours spent with him using concentric circles on the drawing board to determine the best CNS infeed position,” his son, George Varn, Jr., recalls. “He increased production from 10 million

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board feet per year to with a degree in agricul50. Dad was innovative ture economics and as a in the use of PLCs, member of the Phi Beta writing extensive ladKappa Society in 1942. der diagram programs.”

During World War II, Varn was a familiar he served in Naval Inteland most welcomed ligence, spending his ensight at the SFPA lumtire stay deciphering the ber machinery expo, Japanese War Departrapidly walking the ment code, while stafloor in his trademark tioned in DC, Pearl Harseersucker jacket. bor and Guam. Varn Newer equipment reps once commented, “I was were often warned by a small part of a specolder hands about antacularly successful George Varn, Sr. was nearing 101. Navy operation.” swering Varn’s questions, saying, “He already knows the anWhile being mustered out of the Navy swer, he just wants to see how you’ll an- in Charleston, SC, Varn fell for Betty swer it.” Varn attended his last SFPA Van Dyke, a Naval Waves Ensign and Expo in 2019. He was active to the end, journalist. They were married in 1946 walking one to two hours most days. and remained so for 65 years until her Varn graduated from Bolles School in death in 2011.

Jacksonville as Valedictorian in 1938 Varn’s grandfather, George, and great and graduated from Harvard University uncle, K.S., from the Baxley/Hazlehurst

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NEWSFEED area, had long worked in the turpentine business and in the 1940s built a central processing plant in Hoboken. Varn’s father, Lester, on the other hand had sidestepped the turpentine business and had an automobile business as a young man, and later started one of the first independent automobile financing businesses in Florida.

After his military service, George joined the family business in turpentine

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brokerage, before teaming with a cousin, Jacob Varn, to form Pine Gum Production Corp.

When the Naval Stores industry declined in the mid 1960s, George and Jacob became pulpwood dealers as Varn Timber Co. and established a large pulpwood wood yard in Waycross. They worked a deal with Container Corp. to build a chip mill at Hoboken and supply chips to the Container mill in Fernandina Beach. The

chip mill started up in 1968 and the Varns started up a sawmill to process the graded out sawlogs. “We didn’t know anything about sawmills,” Varn recalled.

The sawmill remained a consistent chips and lumber producer with the emphasis on chips. “From the beginning we fashioned a mill that would work with paper mills,” Varn said.

Varn said his family members, especially his great uncle, K.S., were conservationists before the word was even used, owning timberland in the Folkston and Valdosta areas, some of it dating back 185 years. “We take considerable pride in that,” Varn once said. “You can’t own land that long without taking care of it.”

Timber Processing magazine first visited and published an article on Varn Wood Products in June 1979, following a modernization at the Chip-N-Saw mill.

The magazine visited again September 2005, following the installation of a Cone Machinery small log processor, and again in November 2019 upon a mill wide renovation including the startup of a Cone canter and profiler line.

Varn was an active and long-time SLMA Board Member and chaired its Production & Management Issues and Computer committees.

His philanthropic efforts were significant. He chaired the Bolles Board of Directors from 1977 to 1980 and chaired the Museum of Science & History Board during the construction of the new museum on the Southbank Riverwalk in Jacksonville in 1969.

George and Betty’s second greatest passion was traveling. Their favorites were the Taj Mahal in India under the full moon, ancient Palenque in Mexico at dawn and the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounio, Greece at sunset. Their greatest passion was their children. They saw their primary responsibility as teaching their children to think critically and stand on our own two feet.

Varn is survived by his children, Merrill Varn, Ellen Lowman (Don), and George Varn, Jr. (Margo), a brother, Lester, as well as five grandchildren and three great grandchildren.

George and Betty’s ashes were planned to be interred in Oaklawn Cemetery in a private ceremony. In lieu of flowers, friends are urged to donate to a cause of their choosing.

Once asked about his longevity, Varn replied, “I can’t tell you. I just have approached each day and they have added up. I just kept going.”

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NEWSFEED WOOD FIBER GROUP MERGES WITH USNR USNR and Wood Fiber Group announced their merger. USNR is an industry-leading global supplier of sawmill and plywood mill machinery, aftermarket parts, and technical and engineering services. Wood Fiber Group is the largest supplier of cutting tools and filing

room equipment to the wood products industry, including brands such as Simonds International, Burton Saw & Supply, BGR Saws, Global Tooling, and U.S. Blades.

The merger announcement stated that the transaction “will create a single company with unmatched product range, capable of delivering complete solutions from project conception, to building/installing processing lines, to supplying the

spare parts, technical services, ancillary equipment, and custom-engineered cutting tools that our customers rely on to operate their mills at peak performance.”

USNR is headquartered in Woodland, Wash., while Wood Fiber Group has headquarters in Ridgefield, Wash. Both companies have multiple additional facilities. Wood Fiber Group was formed in 2018 through the merger of Simonds International and Burton Saw & Supply.

WEST FRASER BUYS NEW SYP SAWMILL

Angelina Forest Products started up in 2019.

West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd. has entered into an agreement to acquire the Angelina Forest Products southern yellow pine sawmill in Lufkin, Texas for $300 million (U.S.). The new sawmill began construction in 2018, commenced operations in late 2019 and is expected to progress toward full production capacity of more than 300MMBF annually over the next three to four years.

West Fraser states the acquisition is another important step in its continued expansion of its U.S. lumber operations.

“The new, highly efficient facility is expected to be a top quartile mill that will integrate with and support our existing east Texas lumber and OSB business,” West Fraser stated in a release. “Anticipated to be among the lowest cost operations in the company’s lumber mill portfolio, the Lufkin mill is strategically located near low-cost and abundant fiber as well as large and growing end-markets.”

Upon completion of the transaction, West Fraser will have combined Canadian and U.S. lumber production capacity of 7 billion BF, with U.S. capacity of SYP lumber representing 50% of the company’s capacity.

“With this acquisition we will be able to quickly capitalize on a fully-invested and high-quality manufacturing facility,” comments West Fraser President and CEO Ray Ferris. “This includes a trained labor force and the local community and logistics infrastructure to support the 10

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NEWSFEED mill’s supply chain, distribution and outlet for residuals. Further, we are able to immediately reap the cash flow benefits of our investment while significantly reducing the associated risks of greenfield construction, execution and startup.”

West Fraser intends to finance the acquisition with cash on hand. Annual synergies of $13 million are anticipated to be achieved within two years with minimal capital requirements. These synergies are

expected to be realized through continued capacity utilization improvement, implementation of best practices and the coordinated transportation, logistics and procurement benefits derived from West Fraser’s distribution scale and existing production facilities in the region.

The Angelina mill was the cover story of the July 2021 issue of Timber Processing. The mill features a Fulghum crane, Valon Kone ring debarker, MDI metal de-

tector, Timber Automation log merchandiser, USNR primary log breakdown and profiling line, MoCo stacker, USNR dry kilns, and a mostly supplied USNR planer mill including transverse high grader, and strapping systems from Signode.

Mid-South served as the project engineer while the Angelina Forest Products team was project manager. PCE Constructors was the largest construction contractor on site.

The ownership structure of AFP was composed of local businessmen and landowners.

GP TO BUILD MILL AT PINELAND Georgia-Pacific plans to invest $120 million and build a new sawmill at its existing sawmill site in Pineland, Texas.

Construction is expected to begin early next year and completed in late 2022.

The new sawmill will replace the existing stud mill that was built in the 1960s. The new mill will have the ability to produce 450MMBF of dimension lumber annually compared to the 380MMBF it can currently produce.

It should also increase the daily truckloads of logs from 250 to 300.

The investment will expand log yard storage, add a new debarker, log processing line, continuous dry kiln, and new high-speed planer.

The Pineland Lumber Complex was built in the 1910s and is the largest business in Sabine County. Georgia-Pacific states it chose to expand the Pineland site for many reasons, including the area’s workforce and natural resources.

GP Lumber President Fritz Mason comments, “With the mill favorably located in the middle of the southern pine forest of deep east Texas coupled with an experienced workforce that dates back to several generations, Pineland Lumber is well-positioned to prosper for years to come.”

The Pineland complex was part of a massive deal in 2016 when GP purchased the Temple-Inland Building Products operations from International Paper in 2016. IP had acquired TempleInland in 2012.

Temple-Inland built and operated lumber operations at Pineville for decades, and started up a high-tech sawmill there in 2001.

BID Group received the order from GP for the new sawmill. BID will man12

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NEWSFEED age, design, build, equip and provide full startup services.

“We are excited to partner with the BID team again to continue expanding our manufacturing capacity and modernizing our lumber facilities in the U.S. South,” Mason says.

The new operation will incorporate BID’s “best-in-class” wood processing technologies including equipment, software, automation systems, and AI-enabled optimization.

WKO ACQUIRES SDS LUMBER

WKO adds lumber production capacity.

SDS Lumber, including its sawmill and plywood mill at Bigen, Wash., is part of an acquisition involving three purchasing entities.

Seattle-based Twin Creeks Timber, LLC, The Conservation Fund, and Carson, Wash.-based Wilkins, Kaiser & Olsen, Inc. (WKO) are acquiring SDS Lumber and Timber Companies. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2021.

Included in the transaction are the lumber and plywood mills and associated assets in Bingen, and more than 96,000 acres of timberland with environmental and community importance near the Columbia River in Washington and Oregon.

SDS Lumber was established in 1946

by Wally and Bruce Stevenson and Frank Daubenspeck on the banks of the Columbia River in Bingen. They incrementally grew the business from one small green lumber mill by adding a plywood mill, a boiler with electricity generation, dry kilns, a whole log chipping mill and several versions of sawmill upgrades. Steady growth and reinvestment into the mill and the continual accumulation of timberlands made SDS Lumber a driving force and major employer in the Columbia Gorge community.

“We are pleased to reach an agreement with this group of organizations.

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expertise,” comments Jeff Webber, president of SDS Lumber. “Under their ownership and leadership there will be ongoing positive economic and environmental impacts for Bingen, the Gorge and the entire Northwest.”

The SDS board went through a oneyear process to evaluate a transition and sale of the company.

WKO will acquire and operate the Bingen mills and its related divisions under its newly formed subsidiary, Mt. Adams Forest Products.

WKO operates a modern sawmill and planer mill with boiler and dry kilns, specializing in high quality kiln dried dimension lumber at Carson, and its affiliated company Mt. Hood Forest Products operates a Douglas fir dimension sawmill near Hood River, Ore. Between the two mills, production exceeds 300MMBF annually.

“On behalf of our companies, I’d like to share how excited we are to acquire SDS Lumber,” says Bill Wilkins, CEO of WKO. “We have deep roots in Washington and Oregon and know well the positive legacy of SDS. We look forward to welcoming employees into our organizations, and shaping the future of these facilities.”

Green Diamond Resource Co., manager and investor in Silver Creek Capital Management’s Twin Creeks Timber, LLC, will acquire and manage the majority of the timberland as working forests to support the local economy while upholding their long-standing practice of forest stewardship.”

The Conservation Fund will acquire a portion of the SDS properties and manage the conservation easement process and community engagement to ensure that lands with the highest natural, climate and community values are conserved.

Silver Creek Capital Management formed Twin Creeks Timber, LLC to bring together institutional investors and a strong operating company as manager and investor to purchase timberland across the United States. With more than $1.5 billion in capitalization, the fund will own more than 650,000 acres between the U.S. South and the Pacific Northwest with the purchase of the SDS timberlands.

Green Diamond Resource Co. is a privately held forest products company with roots dating back to 1890. Today the company owns working forestlands in Washington, Oregon, Montana and California.

A subsidiary, Green Diamond Management Co., provides forest management services in the U.S. South and West.

The Conservation Fund is a national non-profit that works with public, private and non-profit partners to protect America’s legacy of land and water resources through land acquisition and sustainable community and economic development, emphasizing the integration of economic and environmental goals.

WKO, Inc. started operations in Carson in 1962. Its affiliate Mt. Hood Forest Products came into the company in 2004.

ROSEBURG CONTINUES GROWTH IN SOUTH Roseburg has completed the purchase of 30,000 acres of timberland in the Southern U.S. from Forest Investment Associates (FIA). The properties are in the northeast region of North Carolina and the southeast region of Virginia, and consist of well-managed loblolly pine plantations.

Roseburg already owns 158,000 acres of timberland in the Roanoke Valley, following a 2017 acquisition.

“The addition of these high-quality properties to our existing Roanoke Tree Farm allows us to add more scale and operational efficiency to our Southeastern timber operations,” Roseburg Senior Vice President of Resources Scott Folk says.

The lands acquisition follows the July 1 announcement of Roseburg’s plan to build a new, high-capacity sawmill in nearby Weldon, NC., to be called Roanoke Valley Lumber.

“Our model of vertical integration— owning and operating both the manufacturing facilities and the timberlands that supply them—sets us apart from most of our competitors and provides long-term stability for the company and certainty of supply for our clients,” Roseburg President and CEO Grady Mulbery says. “We continuously look for ways to leverage and align our operational expertise with our resource ownership to maximize efficiency and meet customer expectations.”

BINDERHOLZ BUYS UK’S BSW TIMBER Binderholz is purchasing BSW Timber Ltd., the largest forestry and sawmill company in Great Britain, from Endless LLP. The brand name BSW will be retained after integration into the binderholz Group and the current management will continue to lead the company.

With the acquisition of BSW, binder-

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NEWSFEED holz will become the largest company in the sawmill and solid wood processing industry in Europe with 5,000 employees at 29 locations in Austria, Germany, Great Britain, Latvia, Finland as well as two sawmills in the U.S. BSW was founded in 1848 in Earlston, Scotland and has a production capacity of more than 1.2 million m3 of sawn timber per year. The company, which employs 2,000, operates seven sawmill sites in the UK, one sawmill site in Latvia and seven other production sites in the UK.

WESTERVELT EXPANDS TIMBERLAND HOLDINGS The Westervelt Company and Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ), a global investment group, announced the acquisition of more than 76,000 acres of high-quality pine timberland in Georgia and the creation of a new strategic partnership that will focus on sustainable timberland management.

The newly acquired property had been

owned and managed for nearly a century

by Superior Pine Products, a family-owned company headquartered in Georgia.

“This was a rare opportunity to purchase a special timberland asset in southeast Georgia. The land matches Westervelt’s strategic growth and diversification objectives, and its age class distribution balances growth and sustainability goals,” comments Westervelt President and CEO Brian Luoma.

“This transaction will enable our company to grow in other market areas while retaining ownership in our core area of operations. Westervelt and CDPQ align with our company values and commitment to sustainability,” says Scott Griffin, President and CEO at Superior Pine Products Co.

AWC ADDS MULBERY, BLOSSER TO BOARD American Wood Council (AWC) announced the election of Roseburg Forest Products President and CEO Grady Mulbery and LP Building Solutions Senior

Vice President of Manufacturing Services Mike Blosser to the AWC Board of Directors.

“They are recognized leaders in the industry and will bring that vision to augment what is already an extremely strong Board membership,” comments AWC President & CEO Jackson Morrill.

The full AWC Board of Directors includes: Chairman Furman Brodie, Charles Ingram Lumber Co.; First ViceChairman Eric Cremers, PotlatchDeltic; Second Vice-Chairman Ricky Stanley, TR Miller Mill; Immediate Past Chairman Neil Sherman, LP Building Solutions; and Mike Blosser, LP Building Solutions; Marc Brinkmeyer, Idaho Forest Group; George Emmerson, Sierra Pacific; Allyn Ford, Roseburg Forest Products; Nate Jorgensen, Boise Cascade; Fritz Mason, Georgia-Pacific; Kevin McKinley, Canadian Wood Council; Sean McLaren, West Fraser; Andrew Miller, Stimson Lumber; Grady Mulbery, Roseburg Forest Products: Keith O’Rear, Weyerhaeuser Co.; Joe Patton, Westervelt; and Fred Stimpson, Canfor Southern Pine.

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TIMBERS

NICHE MILL By Dan Shell

Oregon’s Sundance Lumber pursues quality timbers and industrial clears niche markets.

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SPRINGFIELD, Ore. unning a sawmill while major market changes occur might have some operators altering operations to take advantage of historically high lumber prices such as occurred in the past year when framing and dimension lumber and futures prices jumped by as much as 300%-400% for some products.

Instead, managers at Sundance Lumber have continued to pursue the company’s primary high quality green surfaced 6x6 through 6x12 timbers products. Of course, they’ve taken advantage of the recent hot markets to produce more 2x4 and 2x6 than usual when sawing decisions allow.

But instead of modifying the mill to produce more 2x lumber, the mill is pursuing a strategy to use the additional revenue to fund a series of capital improvements to make the niche producer more efficient in pursuing its primary timbers markets.

As a smaller producer (35-40MMBF annually) compared to other mills in the area, Sundance Lumber doesn’t have the resources to switch off what it specializes in. Assistant General Manager Clay Woodard notes that much of the recent big price jumps were for 2x framing lumber but not timbers products. Instead of almost quadrupling in price, timbers saw a significant but much more modest

run-up of around 25%-30%.

The numbers have been enticing, “But it’s still not an option for us to turn the whole place into a dimension mill,” Woodard says. “It might have penciled out for a while, but decided we wanted to stick with what we do best.”

Originally a shingle mill that was started in 1938 as Huntington Shingle Co., part of Huntington Cedar Products Co., the mill has been a fixture on Springfield’s lumber manufacturing lineup for decades, initially as a partnership between brothers Walter and Ed Huntington.

The mill was destroyed by fire in 1945, then rebuilt and moved to its present location in 1952.

A report on Springfield’s lumber manufacturing heritage that was commissioned by the city in 2017 shows that as of 1966, Huntington Shingle Co. employed 100 people that included 50 in the shingle mill, 46 in an adjacent sawmill and four office staff.

Steady diet of larger logs from smaller landowners helps keep Sundance in timbers markets.

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At the time, the mill produced cedar shingles, shakes, lumber, boards and small timbers and was the largest single cedar shingle producer in the state, with an output of 500 squares a day.

The facility included a stud mill and sawmill to go with the shingle operation, which was eventually phased out. The mill continued to concentrate on cedar products into the 1990s. However, that changed as federal timber sales were greatly reduced and large cedar logs were harder to come by.

By the end of the 1990s the mill was cutting all Douglas fir, and current owner Terry Hickson had acquired the mill from a partner in 1998. The mill’s name had been changed to Sundance Lumber in 1974.

According to Woodard, “We’re not set up to compete with the high speed dimension mills that are out there right now. We had to find a niche to get into, and started with 6x6 and 6x12 surfaced timbers because they provided a good bang for the buck.”

He adds that the mill also produces 4 in. timbers and a good amount of industrial clear boards. Until the lumber price run-up led the mill to cut a bit more 2 in. lumber, “The two inch dimension is kind of a by-product of what we want to do. We make some but not a ton of it,” Woodard says. ➤ 19

Sawyers maximize 6 in. sawlines while minimizing heart content.

Four saw shifting edger handles slabs.

Band saws run with swage tips; round saws use carbide.

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YEAR OF IMPACTS When Timber Processing visited Sundance Lumber this past summer, markets had just recently softened, coming down $400/MBF or so from early summer record highs and trending lower.

Sundance Lumber Sales Manager Bryce Jonas noted that the unprecedented market shifts and price levels since spring 2020 can be tough to fathom.

“It’s really hard to look at this market and compare it to something in the past because it’s historic,” he said. “So now we’re looking for a bottom (to the recent price drop) to the market, but the top just went way past anything we’d ever seen or expected in our lifetimes.”

Jonas says he believes much of the DIY demand of 2020 has faded and most of the current demand is housing market driven.

Woodard notes that in the past during a price run-up, mills would add extra shifts, collectively flooding the market and bringing prices down. “It kind of ebbs and flows, and that’s what prices have always done.” However, during the past 18 months he’s seen the first price run-up that industry hasn’t been able to meet with additional manpower and production.

Thanks to COVID, mills are having a tough enough time staffing normal single shift operations, much less adding more shifts. “In the sawmill business we could always make up for lost time a bit by adding shifts producing more but it’s getting more difficult to do that,” Woodard says, adding that he hasn’t heard of any mill in the state adding a whole new shift in the past year.

“But you see it in every industry, it’s not just ours,” Woodard says. “And that is more COVID caused than anything.”

Another big impact in the past year has been tragic fires in fall 2020 that tore through several key timber baskets and damaged much more private timber inventory that’s crucial to regional log supplies. The fires essentially shut down major timber producing areas for weeks, leading to a brief period of mill downtime and reduced hours and a steady diet of salvage logs that continues to this day.

Sundance Lumber lost almost a week of downtime.

the benefits to this place is we’re able to take what might look like a marginal log and make a high end product out of it,” he says.

The mill does a lot of business with smaller landowners and farmers offering larger logs than what’s generally available through

Clay Woodard, left, and Jeremy Beddingfield

MILL FLOW According to Jeremy Beddingfield, Sundance Lumber log buyer, the 20 ft. mill cuts all Douglas fir and is looking for a two-saw log that’s 12-15 in. on the small end, in 36- and 40 ft. lengths. The mill targets logs a grade or two below the highline premium material. “One of TIMBER PROCESSING

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Dimension markets are tempting, but Sundance continues to focus on high quality timbers.

most commercial log sales. “We have a good cross-section of large and small suppliers, and we work with a lot of repeat landowners,” Beddingfield says.

The company doesn’t bid on timber sales or public timber.

All mills in the area have worked with salvage logs, some more than others.

Beddingfield notes that at one point about 50% of the mill’s log inventory was salvage logs.

Another big impact in the past year has been tragic fires in fall 2020 that tore through several key timber baskets and essentially shut down major timber producing areas for weeks.

Two Caterpillar 988s unload trucks, while a Cat 966 performs log sorts and feeds the mill. With the all-Douglas fir log diet, there’s not much sorting except for large and small logs. Columbia River Scaling Bureau handles log scaling.

Two rosserhead debarkers handle large and small logs; large logs feed straight to the headrig while the small barker feeds to a surge area and on into the mill as needed to keep a balanced flow.

Logs pass under a vintage Inovec scanning and optimization system before being sawn with 9 ft. Salem bandmill and carriage. Sawyers ensure logs are broken down to maximize 6 in. saw lines while keeping 6 in. products 70% free of heart—a key grading point.

“It’s old but does what we need,” Woodard says of the ‘90s era optimizer, part of what he calls an “old school mill” that operates within a small footprint and without much automation. “We do a lot of manhandling,” he says.

All material, primarily 6 in. cants and slabs, is routed to a gang edger that ➤ 53 TIMBER PROCESSING

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WHY DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION? Sawmills using it are reportedly seeing operational benefits.

B

reakthrough technologies usually have an impact on the manufacturing sector. Historically, after the mechanical and electrical revolutions, it was computers and automation that caused the third industrial revolution. And today, advanced digital production technologies are the basis of the “4th Industrial Revolution.”

The fundamental difference between Industry 3.0 and 4.0 is the human aspect.

During Industry 3.0, the machines were automized but still required human intervention. In Industry 4.0, the machines work autonomously without the intervention of a human. This is possible with interconnected technologies in plant operations. Basically, it is an exchange of information between smart machines and data storage systems, and it is called the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). For example, in a sawmill it would consist of thousands of sensors that collect and analyze machine data in real time to identify irregularities, execute corrective actions or trigger alerts.

But do we really need a digital transformation of our industrial processes?

CURRENT CHALLENGES Currently, the wood processing industry is facing a skilled labor shortage and a sig-

nificant knowledge gap among personnel.

Fortunately, there are highly efficient equipment and technologies available. But did you know that most sawmills are operating at just 65% of optimal equipment performance? In other words, equipment failures are costing you.

If you want to find a solution to labor shortage, get the most out of your equipment, and increase profitability, you need to consider the digital transformation of your sawmill. This technology has a direct impact on business outcomes. The IIoT gives you the possibility to predict maintenance needs, prevent unplanned downtime, and improve your manufacturing processes. It makes it possible to realize the remaining 35% of operating benefits.

Once again, technology is driving the wood processing industry into the future.

FACILITATE DIGITAL BID Group has always been fascinated by the possibilities and advantages of technology. Since 1924, BID has offered industry-leading solutions and has continued to evolve by delivering a complete range of innovative equipment, digital technologies, turnkey installations, and aftermarket services. BID is one of the largest integrated suppliers to the wood processing industry, and a North American leader.

In 2016, BID decided to further develop its current state-of-the-art technologies to initiate and facilitate the digital transformation of the wood processing industry for the benefit of their clients.

OPER8 Initially, BID collaborated with a small firm to develop an IIoT software platform specifically for the wood processing industry. However, the proposed platform failed to meet expectations, so BID reassessed the project and decided to take another approach: Create a team of strategic partners with expertise in their own fields.

BID established partnerships with: PTC for its widely accepted industrial IoT platform, Microsoft for its long-standing experience in intelligent cloud business and technology, Grafana for its open-source analytics and monitoring solution, and Rockwell Automation to support digital transformation.

With its wood processing expertise, BID Group orchestrated the development of OPER8, the first purpose-built solution that allows you to gain critical visibility into production and asset health using realtime data analytics and a rich array of insights and production reporting.

OPER8 gathers, analyzes and visualizes machine data that show you exactly how

OPER8 provides real-time insights to the mill operations team to highlight the relationship between line speed, small end diameter (SME) and overall productivity of the sawmill. The Operations team is now able to rely on real-time insights as they make adjustments to the line and achieve a higher level of efficiency and consistent productivity. The graph illustrates the drastic reduction in line speed and the associated improvements in productivity.

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efficiently your equipment is running— which means you have the information you need to monitor the health of your machines, assess the quality of raw materials, and compare performance between individual assets and across entire lines.

The conclusions drawn from data can also be turned directly into an action or a response to ensure Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE).

HOW IT WORKS For the operator, OPER8 consists of a setup of screens and monitors that gives access to several dashboards that provide a complete overview of the production line operations and asset performance in real time. Data is collected by sensors or provided by equipment databases and then analyzed for early failure alerts that are displayed on a dashboard, sent by email, and text message. OPER8 also performs a rough inventory tracking and can generate reports for the sawmill, kilns, planer mill or across your enterprise.

OPER8 real-time dashboard for operators

The data and network security are ensured by advanced device identity and transport security as well as platform-wide identity management including single sign-on.

Based on the data collected and analyzed, OPER8 enables you to significantly improve production efficiency, asset health, and overall revenue growth. There is no more need for manual inspections and scavenger hunts to find the root cause of a problem—instead, just an easy reference of your operations dashboard with a straightforward view of what’s happening at the machine level and across the manufacturing complex.

OPER8 ensures full throughput, no unscheduled downtime, and full profitability.

In fact, OPER8 will allow you to exceed your production success metrics because it turns data into profits. That’s what Industry 4.0 is all about. Data is the most unexploited asset but now you can fully deploy its value. However, without digital transformation these gains from data are unattainable.

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The digital transformation of your sawmill may sound like a complex and time-consuming project. In fact, only a few hours are required to define the specifics of the project and then BID Group manages the implementation and executes all the work. It doesn’t require any major investment.

OPER8 is designed for a quick sitewide deployment, and it is compatible with new and legacy equipment, technologies and systems. The total cost of ownership is low compared to legacy and Do It Yourself systems. There are also scalable solutions that allow you to minimize risks.

REAL NUMBERS The performance of OPER8 is proven by the numbers: 5 to 12% reduction in operational costs; 3 to 20% increase in OEE; 5 to 30% increase in factory output, and much more.

Let’s present an example to demonstrate how increasing asset efficiency can considerably drive value in an organization.

The following use case concerns a highspeed bearing. After a band saw change, OPER8 provided insights to Maintenance to ensure the bearing housings were installed correctly by monitoring and alerting on the rate of temperature change of the bearing. This eliminates specific highspeed bearing failure by 100% and increases reliability by 100%. Previously, there were 12 to 15 occurrences per year that caused four hours of unscheduled downtime each time. In this example, the margin recovery was $120,000.

OPER8 has also proven its ability to reduce operational costs. This is possible with the Intelligent Asset Optimization solution that maximizes throughput and asset utilization, the Digital Workforce Productivity solution that increases workforce efficiency and improves quality, and the Enterprise Operational Intelligence solution that increases production efficiency and lowers costs.

For example, to increase stacker operator production efficiency, BID created real-time visibility and actionable insights, monitored asset health to identify abnormal conditions, and optimized energy and resource utilization. This translated to a 35-40% improvement in efficiency. In this case, that means 23-29 additional packs per month.

BID Group has a long list of use studies that clearly demonstrate the ROI for wood processing companies. Currently, there are more than 20 sites that have a completely TP connected mill.

Article and images provided by BID Group. Visit bidgroup.ca.

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SECOND LOOK

GREENFIELD

The August issue featured The Westervelt Co.’s new southern yellow pine sawmill in Thomasville, Ala., which was a true story of collaboration involving the company’s existing SYP mill in Moundville and turnkey supplier BID Group, all the while working through the challenges of the pandemic to be able to take advantage of red hot lumber markets. If you didn’t believe your eyes the first time around, here are several more photos to prove it. (Rich Donnell photos)

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DRYKILNS EDITOR’S NOTE: The following companies submitted these editorial profiles and images to complement their advertisements placed elsewhere in this issue. Please refer to those advertisements for web site and contact information. All statements and claims are attributable to the companies.

AMERICAN WOOD DRYERS American Wood Dryers recently completed the installation and startup of a single pass continuous kiln at the Interfor sawmill in Eatonton, Ga. The kiln will process approximately 115MMBF per year of southern yellow pine. It has a 55 ft. long pre-heat section, then a 110 ft. drying section followed by a 55 ft conditioning section. The single pass design allows all green lumber to enter at the same end and dry lumber to exit at the opposite end. This in-line arrangement simplifies mill process flow and improves fork truck safety compared to counter flow kilns.

The kiln is heated with a direct fired system including a green sawdust burner, 300 HP recirculation fan and ducted air distribution. 16 individual fans with exterior mounted motors move heated air across the lumber. The multiple fan design provides redundancy. Fan motors and drives can be worked on without shutting down the kiln. Exhaust hoods with blowers are mounted at each end of the kiln to reduce steam exiting around the lumber at the ground level.

The project also included a 30 ft. diameter x 92 ft. tall fuel storage silo, a redundant emergency fuel hopper, fuel conveyors, an in-kiln dry deluge fire sup- American Wood Dryers recent kiln installation at pression system, track, carts, pushers, electrical control, electrical and mechan- Interfor sawmill in Georgia ical installation and all concrete work.

BID GROUP In a continuous dry kiln, the operator must ensure steady wood flow.

To do so, the carts on the dry end must be brought back to the green end. To complete this task, the operator must get out of his vehicle and connect the cart to the chain. This operation is risky, so BID Group designed an innovative and automatic cart attachment system. Now, the operator can stay in his vehicle and connect carts easily and safely.

Unlike the chain and pin-based systems, the quick connect cart attachment system doesn’t require any manual labor, since the connection is done automatically. It reduces significantly the total time required to connect carts, so the operator can focus on other tasks. But most impor- Innovative cart attachment system from BID Group reduces safety hazards. tantly, the operation is done safely without any compromise.

The quick connect cart attachment system has been used and tested for over a year and has proven its efficiency.

This simple and clever mechanism is powered by gravity. It uses a hook that pivots on an axle which grabs the end plate of the next cart. A stopper limits the stroke to naturally position the head horizontally while preventing it from over flipping. The head of the hook will line up perfectly with the frame to give a visual confirmation that it is locked in place. To release it, simply lift the cart.

This attachment system is designed to easily connect with a cart from several angles. So, the operator can connect, by approaching his vehicle, from whatever side is most convenient.

The quick connect cart attachment system is made of superior steel alloy and can pull up to 60 ft. of carts fully loaded. It is also compatible with all types of loaders and pushing systems, so it is possible to install and use this attachment system in any existing installation.

As for maintenance, you only need to grease the axle to protect it from contaminants and extend the reliability and durability of the equipment. Spare parts are inexpensive and can be replaced in minutes without causing any downtime to the kiln.

BRUNNER-HILDEBRAND Brunner-Hildebrand Lumber Dry Kiln Co. has been specializing in kilns for softwood and hardwood for more than 70 years and has a history of more than 15,000 kiln dryer installations all over the world. The company s expertise ensures that customers receive individual dry kiln solutions tailored to their needs and based on the requirements of the customer in terms of capacity and lumber grade. The priority is in providing the best-engineered, installed and serviced product in the market today. The company’s service network is on standby to provide full after-sales support, either on location or by remote access. ➤ 30 28

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DRYKILNS 28 ➤ San Group, a fully integrated Canadian forestry company with mills and remanufacturing facilities in British Columbia, recently completed upgrades valued at $100 million to the company’s facilities at Port Alberni. The improvements include four lumber dry kilns supplied by Brunner-Hildebrand. These adapt kiln capacity to the lumber output of the new sawmill. Brunner-Hildebrand was selected to supply the track-loaded kilns after San Group did a careful evaluation of dry kiln manufacturers.

The new Brunner-Hildebrand kilns at Port Alberni increase the sawmill’s kiln drying production to a holding capacity of 400MBF. Drive-through operation helps keep loading and unloading time as short as possible. Stainless steel heating coils, high-grade fan units with heatBrunner-Hildebrand recently installed four kilns with resistant motors, and high pressure spraying units make for energy-effiCanada’s San Group. cient drying and premium lumber grade.

The new kilns are controlled by B-Vector, Brunner-Hildebrand’s latest kiln dryer control software. The system is capable of controlling up to 32 kiln dryers independently and simultaneously, showing all relevant parameters of the drying process on-screen. Remote control of the kilns by operators may easily be accomplished via computer network.

The company s most recent innovation is the Hildebrand Weight Precision Technology (HWPT), which is capable of weighing entire lumber stacks in wireless mode. In contrast to the former Brunner-Hildebrand in-kiln-probe system, this is a massive improvement because it produces more accurate results and it may easily be integrated into the daily work routine by using weighing devices with the same dimensions as regular bolsters. In combination with the new B-Vector control system, which shows kilns in appealing 2D and 3D mode, customers benefit from a superb level of accuracy and practical implementation Brunner-Hildebrand serves the U.S. and Canadian market from its branch in Nashville, Tenn., and also with the help and support of Canadian partner BEP Engineering Services Ltd. in Surrey, British Columbia.

DELMHORST INSTRUMENT Wood is the ideal raw material. It’s structurally sound, beautiful in appearance, and a pleasure to work with. Whether you operate a sawmill or a kiln, build furniture or manufacture flooring, you know that moisture content is the single most important factor affecting the quality of your product. Years of experience, high-tech tools, and premium grade lumber won’t make a difference if moisture content goes unchecked.

A moisture meter is the sure way to minimize defects like shrinkage, cracks and splits. Using a high-quality wood moisture meter is essential.

For 75 years, Delmhorst Instrument, a second generation family-owned and operated business, has designed and manufactured moisture meters for the lumber, woodworking and building trades industries worldwide. All products are produced and supported from our facility in northern New Jersey.

Since conductance-type moisture meters do not actually “measure” moisture directly, but an electrical property of the wood (resistance), they are a secondary means of obtaining moisture Delmhorst’s new JX-30 moisture content with the oven test being the primary means. So it is important to understand and account for the factors that may affect meter readings, along with how to achieve the best accuracy, while meter considering the demands of your internal or external customer.

Delmhorst wood meters (RDM-3, J-2000) offer data collection and user-selectable features like species, temperature, and pins corrections so the user can apply as needed for his application. The 26-ES electrode is a valuable accessory tool that measures only at the depth at which the pins have been driven. Penetrate into the wood in as little as 1⁄8 in. increments to read the moisture content, leaving no question as to actual moisture content and its distribution or gradient—critical information, especially during drying.

Delmhorst is introducing the new Navigator family of meters with great features and the free EDGE app to make your job even easier. The BDX-20 and BDX-30 are now available and the JX-20 and JX-30 are ready to launch. All new models feature an ergonomic, premium feel, with an intuitive interface and easy to read display.

E+E ELEKTRONIK E+E Elektronik manufactures high quality industrial-grade humidity and temperature sensors. These are used in a variety of applications and demanding environments. One of the most demanding environments is found in dry kilns used throughout the lumber industry.

Lumber drying is essential to providing high quality building materials to customers. Reducing the moisture in wood quickly and efficiently requires high amounts of heat. Doing so continuously improves the throughput and ensures that customers get the wood products they need. ➤ 32 30

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DRYKILNS 30 ➤ Operating continuously in this environment presents a big challenge. Electrical devices in dry kilns are constantly subjected to heat, steam and a variety of organic compounds. For a sensor to survive extended operations it must be designed to handle these conditions while providing accurate measurements.

We at E+E specialize in these type of sensors. The EE310 series is trusted by sawmill operators and is used in dry kilns throughout the world. This trust begins with its stainless steel design for both the remote probe and the transmitter housing. The housing is rated at IP65 to protect the electronics from the rough environment.

We manufacture our own sensor elements in-house to ensure a robust design and high quality.

These are enhanced with a special coating to reduce the amount of organic compounds that can be absorbed by the sensor and throw off measurements. Finally, these sensors can operate in hot environments—up to 356°F—for extended periods of time.

Our sensors do not rely on a wet-bulb to generate its measurements. This means that operators do not need to replace water reservoirs. Once the sensor is setup it will run hassle-free.

E+E Elektronik is based out of Austria where all of our products are manufactured. Our U.S. office is located in Chicago and focuses on providing the best customer service in the industry.

We have a team of experts ready to assist with your application to ensure you have the right sensor in place.

E+E Elektronik manufactures sensor elements in-house.

KDS WINDSOR In business since 1992, KDS Windsor specializes in the design, manufacturing and installation of batch and continuous lumber drying kilns, wood waste heat plants and waste wood material handling systems. Offering equipment for both hardwood and softwood markets, KDS Windsor products are composed of the finest quality materials built to innovative, industry leading designs providing clients with the most ruggedly built, clever and robust lumber drying systems available.

KDS Windsor’s advanced DrySpec family of kiln controls and KDS Windsor emphasizes lumber drying solutions.

DryTrack in-kiln moisture measurement systems offer clients the most intuitive, precise, automatic and trouble-free control systems in the lumber industry.

Lumber drying isn’t simply one part of what KDS Windsor does, it is the “only” thing KDS Windsor does. With a sole focus on lumber drying, KDS Windsor is proud that through more than 25 years of demonstrated expertise in satisfying clients drying needs, they are widely known as the leaders in lumber drying.

KDS Windsor is committed to setting new standards for lumber drying equipment and never stops listening to clients. As has been tradition for KDS Windsor the dedicated staff continues to innovate to ensure future clients have industry-best lumber drying solutions.

LIGNOMAT Value, support, quality and connection. These are the building blocks of Lignomat’s 40+ years of success. The connection through technology aspect is prominent with Lignomat’s MP32 control platform.

Lignomat believes improvement and potential savings starts with data. One or more MP32’s interface with the customer’s data collection and analysis infrastructure using a built in API. Single and multi-facility drying operations using, or in the hunt to integrate data analysis tools stand to benefit from Lignomat’s MP32 Kiln Control System platform.

Your kiln control system will text and email individuals with kiln specific and condition specific updates. Whether a kiln charge is complete or you have another event during the charge cycle, the MP32 reaches out immediately so that the correct person knows as soon as it does.

Lignomat: technology built on the Unique scheduling, AHDC, peak energy management, and steam optimization are a few basics for a data driven world. more tools at the kiln operator’s disposal with Lignomat kiln control systems.

Lignomat also offers both wireless and wire-bound monitors and data logging systems.

Sensors are available for wood MC percentage, EMC, dry-bulb, wet-bulb, wood core temperature, relative humidity and integrated sample scales.

Lignomat offers quality hardware and custom software design for the worldwide lumber industry to reduce drying times and energy consumption. All control systems, monitoring systems, and handheld moisture meters are made in the U.S. ➤ 34 32

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DRYKILNS 32 ➤ Lignomat offers quality hardware and custom software design for the worldwide lumber industry to reduce drying times and energy consumption. If your company is considering updating or purchasing hardwood kilns, softwood kilns, solar kilns or vacuum kilns, Lignomat offers control and monitoring systems that are flexible enough to fit almost any application.

MÜHLBÖCK Mühlböck has been developing and manufacturing lumber dry kilns in their own facility in Eberschwang, Austria for nearly 40 years, including batch and continuous kilns, belt dryers and heat recovery systems. One of the latest innovations from the Austrian drying specialist is their Progressive kiln FLOW. The Mühlböck unidirectional Progressive kilns ensure simple and fast loading and unloading, while the automatic transport system with buffer zones can eliminate the need for night shift forklift operation. By combining these features with the drying quality of conventional batch kilns, including the 4.0 industry ready Mühlböck K5 drying control system, the Mühlböck Progressive FLOW fills in Mühlböck drying system 1306 achieves reducthe logistic gap and increases productivity. tion in drying costs by 25%.

Meadow Lake Tribal Council is installing a Mühlböck dry kiln to handle more than 81MMBF of its NorSask sawmill lumber per year. This sawmill has a one of a kind lumber cart transport system in operation with a unique loading and stacking process. In order to ensure proper interface between sawmill and kiln, as well as after drying from kiln to planer mill, Mühlböck custom designed the unidirectional continuous kiln.

The Progressive kiln’s automated door system, opening only a few times per day for a short time, ensures heat loss is greatly reduced, while the fully automatic transport system ensures output of large capacities of the highest quality lumber each and every cycle.

The installation of the Progressive 1306 FLOW kiln is a collaborative effort between Mühlböck North America’s installation team and MLTC. Mühlböck also reports that PowerWood has installed two 1306 batch kilns for its custom cedar operation in Agassiz, BC. These have been commissioned to the customer’s full satisfaction.

NYLE DRY KILNS Nyle Dry Kilns continues to provide the softwood industry with the tools to improve productivity and maximize efficiency. With their data-driven approach to controlling dry kilns and feature products like their indirect gas-fired systems and heat recovery venting options, Nyle has been able to provide softwood producers with next-gen equipment.

Nyle Dry Kilns recently finished installing three more kilns in Mississippi, Texas and Alabama, further setting up these sawmills for success.

In Mississippi, Nyle installed a high-temperature indirect gas-fired dual track kiln. Designed as two independent track kilns housed in the same structure, each utilizes twelve 1.6 MM BTUh natural gas-powered burners, enabling the sawmill to dry 160MBF of timbers in under 70 hours.

Another install in Texas was a high-temperature indirect gas-fired forklift kiln equipped Nyle Dry Kilns offers versatility in lumber drying applications. with two 2.4MM BTUh natural gas burners with a max temperature of 210. With the addition of this kiln, the sawmill can now dry 65MBF of 5 in. southern yellow pine poles in roughly 96 hours. To maximize the kiln’s efficiency, Nyle installed their HRV5000 Heat Recovery Vent. This venting system reduces energy costs by lowering the amount of gas needed to heat the kiln chamber while more accurately controlling the kiln conditions at the same time. It uses the heat from the exhausting air to heat the incoming air, thus keeping the kiln air temperature from dropping significantly during the venting process.

In Alabama, Nyle installed a 15MBF batch kiln also equipped with a Heat Recovery Vent. This kiln, capable of reaching 190, can dry a load of SYP timbers in under 96 hours.

Nyle aims to provide the tools necessary for sawmills to increase their efficiencies, have better quality control, speed up their drying process, perform with less downtime, and achieve their desired outcome.

If you want to learn more about Nyle’s high-efficiency kilns or to talk to someone about how to increase your sawmill’s productivity and efficiency, be sure to reach out to the team at Nyle.

SII DRY KILNS SII Dry Kilns has been providing the hardwood and softwood lumber industry with superior quality, long lasting and high-performance drying equipment since 1970. SII is based out of a 60,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility in Lexington, NC that allows for complete control over the manufacturing process, including in-house engineering and controls design and development.

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DRYKILNS 34 ➤ SII provides softwood dry kilns in continuous “DPK” dry kilns (license holder), package loaded kilns and double track traditional batch style track kiln designs. l Kiln features include: —Prefab 3 in. thick R-22 kiln panels of aluminum or stainless-steel —Fan systems providing up to 1500 FPM —Insulated aluminum roof vents for on/off or modulating control —Allen-Bradley ControlLogix PLC controls and motor controls —Above ground or underground pusher systems for DPK designs l Heating Systems: —Direct fired systems for green or dry biomass fuels or natural gas —Steam systems utilizing steam coils available in steel or stainless steel —Emergency bypass systems provided on all biomass systems SII offers complete turnkey project management for new and rehab projects.

SII performs complete kiln repair projects such as panel reskins and damage recovery services and offers a full line of parts and kiln materials.

SII Dry Kilns continuous (DPK) dry kiln

SMITHCO Smithco is known for setting the standard in airflow technology. With adjustable pitch and fully reversible propellers ranging from 30 in. up to 84 in., we have the solution to your air flow needs. But it’s not just the outstanding value, quality and performance of our fan propellers that makes Smithco unique in the industry.

We also offer engineering and application support to make sure you’re getting the results you need. Our decades of experience and lab-tested results can give you reliable performance estimates to improve your drying times, which means less trouble-shooting, and more throughput.

If you’re ready to upgrade your fan to the best product and service in the industry, contact us.

Smithco: superior products, outstanding support

USNR Improving moisture control is critical for mills focused on increasing yield and profit in the drying process. USNR’s Kiln Boss control system is installed on more than 280 systems and has fully integrated the SCS wireless in-kiln moisture control to ensure every kiln load reaches the target moisture content with a desired standard deviation.

Now with the SCS OMNIR infrared sensor, mills can also monitor the moisture content of boiler and burner fuel. Based on the measured MC%, adjustments can be made to feed rate, airflow, and fuel mixture to yield optimal energy recovery. It can also be used to adjust the amount of water used on saws in the mill.

It’s critical to energy recovery and efficiency that biomass entering the energy system be within a specific range of moisture content. The ability to measure the moisture content of fuel sent to your burner provides an opportunity to divert or condition biomass based on moisture content from sawmill outfeed. You can also define and control wet/dry blend ratio to maximize efficiency and yield.

This innovative OMNIR system maximizes the yield and profitability of residual biomass and can be installed on green fuel burners for continuous kilns, track kilns, USNR’s Hybrid Green Burner can use a comor batch kilns to improve the efficiency of kiln operation and drying process, as well bination of green sawdust and natural gas. as improve product quality and waste reduction.

USNR’s Counter Flow Kilns are the largest and most flexible in the industry.

They use heating systems that produce a whopping 40 mm BTUs from various fuel sources including steam, shavings, green fuel, and natural gas. This flexibility allows mills to burn the fuel that provides the most savings.

To serve the needs of the market, USNR’s Green Fuel Burner “gasifier” can be manufactured as a hybrid burner using a combination of green sawdust and natural gas in the same system. Mills can switch between fuel sources to take advantage of price fluctuations and other market conditions. Having more fuel source options lets you continue drying through quarterly clean-outs, by using gas.

USNR has manufactured dry kilns for more than 100 years and has the largest installed base in North America. ➤ 38 36

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DRYKILNS VALUTEC As the leading developer and world leader in continuous kilns, Valutec has delivered more than 1,500 continuous kilns to sawmills around the world.

Valutec is the only company offering TC (cross circulation) kilns—a kiln type that comes with distinguishing features such as low energy consumption, high flexibility and superior capacity. It gives the operator the possibility to create the ultimate drying process with unlimited freedom to mix dimensions, minimal moisture content variation and reduced risk of checking.

Annual capacity can reach 125MMBF with target moisture contents down to around 12-18%.

Valutec is the only company offering continuous TC kilns.

The principle is based on the timber package being fed length-wise through zones in which the air circulates laterally across the drying channel. This enables the separate regulation of the climate in different zones according to a schedule that comes very close to the ideal schedule of a batch kiln.

“The leap in technology has fundamentally changed the way of working at many sawmills. Higher flexibility creates significant advantages, particularly when it comes to planning. Competition is extremely tough in the sawmill business, where margins are tight.

So customers in this sector rely on high efficiency and quality,” says Robert Larsson, Managing Director, Valutec.

The TC kiln has quickly become a favorite among sawmills around the world and during the past year Valutec has sold and installed TC kilns to North America, Central Europe, Scandinavia and Russia.

“The TC kiln does a great job in a lot less time than we’re used to and puts out a much better product,” says Fred Haigis, Lumber Yard Supervisor, Moose River, U.S. “We want to increase the drying capacity at our sawmills in Preding and Sachsenburg and saw that TC kilns were right for us.

They offer a combination of high capacity and flexibility, without compromising on quality,” says Michael Fercher, CTO at Hasslacher Group, Austria.

18 months ago Valutec released the control system Valmatics 4.0. It allows sawmills to automate and optimize drying in all types of lumber kilns. Valmatics 4.0 is the only control system that combines simulator technology with adaptive control, and enables optimization based on capacity, quality and energy consumption. The new Valmatics 4.0 means modern TC continuous kiln functions can be put to full use. All the kiln operator needs to know is the incoming and desired outcoming moisture content. This frees up time for more important operations such as saw planning, quality control and sampling. ➤ 40

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DRYKILNS WOOD-MIZER Wood-Mizer offers dehumidification and solar kiln kits with capacities ranging from 300 to 35,000 board feet for drying lumber. Kiln drying lumber is a simple, cost-effective method recommended for anyone who wants to increase profits by selling dried lumber. Kiln dried wood typically sells for a third more than green lumber and eliminates the need for customers to incur costs associated with drying lumber before use.

The Wood-Mizer KD series of kilns feature 100% corrosion resistant aluminum cabinets and specially coated dehumidification coils to ensure quality performance and an extra-long life. The KS solar kiln is a simple and economical system for starting to kiln dry lumber. Visit www.woodmizer.com/kilns for more information and to download a free Introduction to Kiln Drying Guide that provides basic information on kiln drying and includes the many advantages of drying your own lumber. Kiln chamber diagram booklets also available.

Wood-Mizer solar kiln l KD150 Dehumidification Kiln Kit - Compact, entry-level dehumidification kiln for drying lumber between 300 and 1,000 board feet l KD250 Dehumidification Kiln Kit - High-quality dehumidification kiln for controlled lumber drying of 1,500 to 4,000 board feet l KD450 Dehumidification Kiln Kit - High-performance dehumidification kiln for producing up to 15,000 board feet of kiln dried wood l KD550 Dehumidification Kiln Kit - Commercial dehumidification kiln for precise controlled lumber drying up to 35,000 board feet l KS50 Solar Kiln - Cost-effective solar kiln for drying lumber up to 3,000 board feet

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MACHINERYROW Collum’s Lumber Plans Gang Upgrade USNR announced several projects, one of which is Collum’s Lumber planning to upgrade its 12 in. double-arbor curve-sawing gang saw at the sawmill in Allendale, SC. This machine was installed 20 years ago and was earlier upgraded with new conical chip heads and profilers. The new updates are scheduled to be completed in the fourth quarter.

This order includes the Remote Saw Mismatch Adjuster, which utilizes the system’s PLC control to realign the saws from the HMI. This provides safe, efficient, precise and remote on-the-fly saw realignment. It can be configurable based on cant thickness.

The upgrade also includes the Clamping Guidebar, which removes the original 3-prong pusher rod and replaces with the complete sawguide and guidebar assembly. This new design requires less maintenance and provides a robust guide clamping system. ● Thompson River Lumber is upgrading its legacy Lunden-brand stacker at Thompson Falls, Mont. The existing stacker was installed in 1991 and has offered many years of reliable performance. Newer electric servo actuation technology is now affording more efficient performance.

Thompson River Lumber produces ponderosa pine dimension lumber. The sawmill stacker is required to stack lumber tiers of 60 in. wide, 72 in. high and 20 ft. long, weighing in the range of 20,000 lbs. Stacking rate is 16 cycles/min.

Updates will include the Stick Feeder to synchronize feeder timing to the distribution chain, improve feeding of damaged or bent sticks, increase stick feeder cycle and replace wear parts. The addition of a secondary hold-down eliminates double feeds at speeds of over 220 sticks per minute.

The existing Stick Lift and Shuttle movement will be converted to electric servo motor actuation. The stick lift is no longer cam driven or tied mechanically to any other part of the stacker, which allows the stick lift process to be infinitely adjustable. Shuttle movement is also servo driven.

The Fork Carriage will be updated; the existing fork drive linkage will be replaced with a new fork drive shaft, servo fork drive unit with servo rated reducer, and a new fork carriage frame with pivoting forks and new stick pans.

The existing hydraulic Rake-Off as42

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MACHINERYROW sembly will be replaced with an electric actuated rake-off assembly, including encoder feedback. The Fork Lift Drive will be replaced with a servo fork lift shaft drive unit, including a new motor mount frame assembly, and a new poly chain sprocket will be supplied for the lift shaft. The Overhead Course Divider and Tier Stop will be updated to all new components with electric actuation.

A Random Width Pull-Back upgrade will be installed providing uniform downstream stack face and/or spreading of random width boards.

These updates are scheduled to be installed in the second quarter of next year. ● McDowell Lumber at Asheboro, NC is adding vision technology to its existing BioLuma trimmer optimizer. The company implemented BioLuma sensor technology in 2019 with laser profile sensors in their existing scan frame. Now the company wants to increase its grade recovery and value by replacing the sensors with BioLuma 2900LV units. This upgrade also adds Deep Learning AI technology to the mix.

McDowell processes a mixture of hardwoods into lumber and pallets. The mill trusts USNR’s experience with vision technology for hardwood production; the optimizer platform is designed to allow for both shop and appearance grade scanning. This technology is scheduled to be installed in mid-2022. ● Millar Western at Fox Creek, Alberta is adding vision and Deep Learning AI technology to its existing trimmer optimizer. The trimmer optimizer was installed in 2010 outfitted with laser profile sensors.

Now the mill wants to improve the value recovery of its output to the planer mill.

The optimization platform will be updated, and new BioLuma 2900LV sensors installed in the scan frame.

Technology has improved substantially from the 2010 timeframe, with the advent of much more powerful computing, ultra high density geometric scanning, vision technology, more precise and improved optimization algorithms, and now Deep Learning AI. The installation is scheduled for mid-2022.

U-C Coatings Hires Western Sales Manager U-C Coatings, LLC, announced the hiring of Jeff Davis as Western Regional Sales Manager for the Seal-Once brand.

Davis brings more than 35 years of 44

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MACHINERYROW sales and management experience in the paint and coatings industry. Davis is based in Colorado and hiis main focus will be the ongoing expansion of the Seal-Once product line of environmentally friendly waterborne stains and sealers for decking, siding, docks, and log homes. Davis will also be involved in the market launch of Fence Guard, an innovative water-based alkyd stain designed for new and old fences.

Redwood Plastics Promotes Fraser Redwood Plastics and Rubber announced that Kris Fraser has been promoted to COO and will be responsible for managing all aspects of the company.

In his 20 years of experience, Fraser has developed a wide-ranging background. Starting in steel fabrication at a former sister company, Surround Technologies, Fraser held positions within all aspects of the business: project management, operations management, mechanical design, engineering sales, and manufacturing.

Within Redwood Plastics and Rubber, Fraser has held the positions of VP of Manufacturing and VP of Finance. “Kris has a wealth of knowledge and experience that is very unique. I’m proud and excited to see where he will take our company,” comments Graeme Fraser, CEO. “Our company has such a strong foundation with customers that are truly partners and a team that is unmatched,” adds Fraser. The future looks bright with many new developments that will bring new career opportunities and sustainable products to our communities.”

VIDA Plans Major Dry Kilns Investment Sweden’s VIDA is investing in Valutec continuous kilns for six of the group’s sawmills. The investment totals more than 10 million euro. It will increase the annual drying capacity by 400,000 m3 (169.5MMBF), while streamlining energy consumption and raising drying quality.

“At VIDA, we work every day at reducing our carbon footprint. The new continuous kilns combine high capacity with continuity, which brings great advantages in terms of energy efficiency,” says Jonas Axelsson, Technical Manager, VIDA. For Valutec, the VIDA order is the lat46

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MACHINERYROW est in a long line of deliveries to the Group. Vida is a global supplier of manufactured products from sustainable Swedish forests. The group employs 1,250 in 22 production plants, including 12 sawmills. Production is mainly focused on structural lumber for a number of global markets.

The current investment comprises six continuous kilns, namely FB (feedback) continuous kilns for the sawmills in Alvesta, Tranemo, Vimmerby and Vislanda, an OTC (optimized two-stage continuous) model for the sawmill in Bruza, and VIDA’s first TC (cross circulation) model in Borgstena.

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The technological leap in this new generation of TC continuous kilns is the individual temperature and air circulation control in different zones. Integrated simulator technology gives the user great freedom when choosing the dimensions of lumber for drying, thus optimizing processes and providing high capacity.

All of the continuous kilns are supplied with Valutec’s new Valmatics 4.0 control system. All kilns will be in operation in 2022. ● Valutec also reently announced the order for its TC kiln from Pleasant River Lumber in Maine, which already operates

two TC continuous kilns for sawmills at Dover and Jackman. This third installation is for sawmill in Enfield.

The latest TC continuous kiln will have an annual capacity of 46MMBF. The lumber sawn in Enfield has previously been dried at Pleasant River’s unit in Dover, but as demand for the company’s products has increased, they are now choosing to invest in a kiln facility for the sawmill that is targeted at smaller dimensions. It will be used to dry Balsam fir to a 15% final moisture content, and is divided into five double zones. Start of assembly is scheduled for the second quarter of 2022.

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PRODUCTSCANNER10 BUTT REDUCER By customer request Mellott Manufacturing Co., Inc. is now offering the Model 70E Log Flare Butt Reducer. It is designed and built with the same rugged quality as the LMR debarkers and all the Mellott product lines. Adding a log flare butt reducer to a mill infeed system will vastly reduce log handling problems and improve productivity.

The Mellott log butt flare reducer standard unit will handle 12" to 48" diameter logs with a maximum flare diameter of 60" and log lengths of 8' up to 17'. The Mellott cutterhead design is 14" diameter x 28" wide sectional steel with 48 reversible teeth and a 3 15⁄16" shaft. The cutterhead is driven by a 100 HP, 1200 RPM, electric motor direct-coupled to the drive shaft. The overhead hold down wheels can be operated with hydraulic or

pneumatic cylinders.

As featured on the Mellott LMR debarkers, the log butt flare reducer also has solid cast steel alloy bull-wheels with Browning HS1 hubs and bushings. The bull-wheel shafts are 3 7⁄16" diameter with split urethane lined pillow block bearings.

The bull-wheels are driven with a 10 HP Sumitomo helical bevel reducer. The machine has an automatic control system with the option of a wireless remote control.

The log butt flare reducer can be a stand-alone machine or can be supplied with infeed decks or log-trough conveyors. Visit mellottmfg.com.

THERMO TREATMENT

American Wood Technology offers the IWT-MOLDRUP-SSP (Superheated Steam under Pressure)—most flexible and economical—thermo treatment plant now available in North America.

The advantages of thermal treated wood: —Increased dimensional stability (3050% improvement) —Protection of wood against rot and fungi to risk classes 2, 3 & 4 (exterior cladding, decking, fencing) —Coloring the wood to a pleasant uniform brown appearance —Removing color defects from wood —Lowering the equilibrium moisture content —Fantastic for window frames, interior flooring, siding, outdoor furniture The AWT Plant advantages: —More manageable load sizes-per charge 1700-4000 BF —Flexible annual capacities ~ 850,000 – 2,000,000 BF —Faster cycle times than traditional, methods ~ 8-24 hours —Much less investment required —Custom plant sizes available Visit americanwoodtechnology.com.

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WOOD PRODUCTS MARKETPLACE NORTH AMERICA

■ Minnesota

■ North Carolina

■ Canada ■ Ontario Buyers & Wholesalers We produce quality 4/4 - 8/4 Appalachian hardwoods • Red Oak, White Oak, Poplar •

Green Lumber: Air Dried, Kiln Dried Timbers & Crossties

• Hickory, Sycamore, Beech, Gum & Elm • Custom Cut Timbers: Long lengths and wide widths

Sales/Service: 336-746-5419

336-746-6177 (Fax) • www.kepleyfrank.us

■ Tennessee

STACKING STICKS

FOR SALE

Next closing: January 5, 2022

AIR-O-FLOW profiled & FLAT sticks available Imported & Domestic

■ United States

DHM Company - Troy, TN 38260 731-446-4069 Fax: 707-982-7689 email: kelvin@kilnsticks.com www.KILNSTICKS.com

■ Georgia Beasley Forest Products, Inc. P.O. Box 788 Hazlehurst, GA 31539

beasleyforestproducts.com Manufactures Kiln-Dried 4/4 Red and White Oak, Poplar, Ash and Cypress Contact: Linwood Truitt Phone (912) 253-9000 / Fax: (912) 375-9541 linwood.truitt@beasleyforestproducts.com

Pallet components, X-ties, Timbers and Crane Mats Contact: Ray Turner Phone (912) 253-9001 / Fax: (912) 375-9541 ray.turner@beasleyforestproducts.com

■ Kentucky HAROLD WHITE LUMBER, INC. MANUFACTURER OF FINE APPALACHIAN HARDWOODS

(606) 784-7573 • Fax: (606) 784-2624 www.haroldwhitelumber.com

Ray White

Domestic & Export Sales rwhite@haroldwhitelumber.com Cell: (606) 462-0318

Green & Kiln Dried, On-Site Export Prep & Loading Complete millworks facility, molding, milling & fingerjoint line

WANT TO GET YOUR AD IN OUR NEXT MARKETPLACE? Call or email Melissa McKenzie 334-834-1170 melissa@hattonbrown.com 08/21

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Call Toll-Free: 1-800-669-5613

EMPLOYMENTOPPORTUNITIES Recruiting Services

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GW Industries www.gwi.us.com

Depending on Circumstances / Needs

Dennis Krueger 866-771-5040

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greenwoodimportsllc@gmail.com

jackie@gwi.us.com

Top Wood Jobs Recruiting and Staffing George Meek

Call or Email me anytime! john@johngandee.com www.johngandee.com

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Contact: Helen Edmonds hedmonds@progresseng.com Manchester, Maine www.progresseng.com

21 ➤ feeds to a landing area. Lumber week-plus of the month. The mill had moves up to a camel back table that feeds run with separate sawmill and planer to the trimmer, where a spotter determines mill crews previously, but has now if any pieces need to be dropped out and shifted to a single group that moves sent to a resaw. back and forth.

Timbers flow to a green chain and are pulled by grade and length, then moved on pallets and skids by forklift to the planer mill, where 95% of the mill’s output is surfaced.

The planer is a custom-built Coastal unit installed in 2003 that was designed to handle larger and longer pieces with oversize motors, spindles and heads and custom side heads and feed rolls.

Timbers receive an anti-stain spray from UC Coatings after exiting the planer, then flow to a grading chain where they are re-graded, pulled and sorted, with any material needing re-trimming being sent to a hula saw.

Pieces are pulled, sorted, packaged and banded by hand.

The planer mill can outrun the sawmill 2:1, so the sawmill is operated four to five days a week, Sundance cedar shingle history dates to 1938. then the planer mill is run the last

UPGRADES Mill managers are planning a series of improvements at the mill, but pandemicrelated issues with contractors are causing delays, as well as the market itself. “It’s hard to justify shutting down the mill right now in these markets,” Woodard says, adding that several projects are in the planning stages right now.

One of the biggest is upgrading the debarker line and also adding a bark classifier that will enable sales of higher-value residuals. And while there are plenty of opportunities in a mill running with older equipment, the plan is to initially upgrade the PLC and electrical system that will help pave the way for future improvements.

Woodard notes the mill and overall operation has “stood the test of time” and despite its size and old school operational stance produces a quality product that’s in demand and valued in the market.

“That’s a testament to our ownership and to our employees,” Woodard says.

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MAINEVENTS NOVEMBER

APRIL 2022

8-9—Lumber Quality and Process Control Workshop, Scottish Rite Center, Salem, Ore. Call 541-752-2751; visit lumberquality.com.

27-29—MSR Annual Workshop, Courtyard by Marriott, Salt Lake City, Utah. Call 608-310-6768; visit msrlumber.org.

MAY 2022

10-11—Lumber Quality Leadership Workshop. Lumber Quality Institute, Scottish Rite Center, Salem, Ore. Call 541752-2751; visit lumberquality.com.

13-14—Loggers’ Expo, Champlain Valley Exposition, Essex Junction, Vt. Call 315-369-3078; visit northernlogger.com.

10-12—Forestry Association of South Carolina annual meeting, Hyatt Regency, Greenville, SC. Call 803-798-4170; visit scforestry.org.

15-17—American Wood Protection Assn. annual meeting, Francis Marion Hotel, Charleston, S.C. Call 205-733-4077; visit awpa.com.

30-December 3—Woodex, 17th International Exhibition of Equipment and Technologies for Woodworking and Furniture Production, Crocus Expo, Moscow, Russia. Visit woodexpo.ru.

20-21—38th East Coast Sawmilling and Logging Exposition, Richmond Raceway Complex, Richmond Raceway Complex, Richmond, Va. Call 804-737-5625; visit exporichmond.com.

Listings are submitted months in advance. Always verify dates and locations with contacts prior to making plans to attend.

DECEMBER 3-6—BIFA WOOD Vietnam, Binh Duong Convention, Thu Dau Mot City, Binh Duong Province, Vietnam. Call +84 274 222 1735; visit bifawoodvietnam.com.

11-14—WMF: Shanghai International Furniture Machinery & Woodworking Machinery Fair, National Exhibition and Convention Center, Shanghai, China. Call (852) 2516 3518; visit woodworkfair.com.

28-31—Furniture China 2021, Shanghai New International Expo Center, Pudong, Shanghai, China. Call +86-2164371178; visit furniture-china.cn/en-us.

FEBRUARY 2022 24-28—IndiaWood 2022, Bangalore International Exhibition Centre, Bangalore, India. Call +91-80-4250 5000; visit indiawood.com.

MARCH 2022 15-17—Dubai Woodshow, Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Call +971 4 39 23232; visit dubaiwoodshow.com.

16-18—2022 SLMA & SFPA Spring Meeting & Expo, Hotel Monteleone, New Orleans, La. Call 504-443-4464; visit slma.org.

23-25—Hardwood Manufacturers Association's National Conference and Expo, Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort, Miramar Beach, Fla. Call 412-244-0440; visit hmamembers.org.

29-30—Wood Bioenergy Conference & Expo, Omni Hotel at CNN Center, Atlanta, Ga. Call 334-834-1170; visit bioenergyshow.com.

29-April 1—Fimma-Maderalia 2022, Feria Valencia, Valencia, Spain. Visit fimma-maderalia.feriavalencia.com/en.

31-April 1—Panel & Engineered Lumber International Conference & Expo (PELICE), Omni Hotel at CNN Center, Atlanta, Ga. Call 334-834-1170; visit pelice-expo.com.

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This issue of Timber Processing is brought to you in part by the following companies, which will gladly supply additional information about their products.

ADVERTISER A W Stiles Contractors AFS Inc-Energy System Division American Wood Dryers American Wood Technology BID Group Brunner Hildebrand Calibre Equipment Carbotech International Cleereman Industries Cone Omega Delmhorst E+E Elektronik FiberPro G F Smith Holtec USA Hurst Boiler & Welding Johnson & Pace KDS Windsor Lignomat USA Linck Linden Fabricating Lucidyne-Microtec N.A. Mebor Mellott Manufacturing Metal Detectors Mid-South Engineering Muhlbock Holztrocknungsanlagen Nelson Bros Engineering Nyle Systems Oleson Saw Technology Opticom Tech Piche Premier Bandwheel Samuel Coding & Labeling Group Samuel Packaging Systems Group Saw Add Sering Sawmill Machinery Signode SII Dry Kilns Smithco Manufacturing T S Manufacturing Telco Sensors Timber Automation USNR Valutec Vecoplan Wood Fiber Group Wood-Mizer

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