A new report raises new issues and questions about the future of forestland and the forest products industry in the South, but wood bioenergy could elicit significant changes in forest conditions, management and wood markets.

With recovery more critical than ever, H.G. Toler & Son Lumber has recently undertaken a series of optimization upgrades throughout its mill. “We feel like that is real important right now,” states John Grigsby, General Operations Manager and Vice President for Toler. This started with the addition of a USNR BioVision system at the edger in 2009 (completed in early 2010). That was followed by an M6 sensor upgrade to the original Hi-Tech scanning at the trimmer a year later. Finally, the mill is currently replacing its older Lewis Controls optimization at the headrig with a USNR LASAR system this summer.

In large batch kiln drying, board-to-board variability makes estimating the moisture content of the lumber at the kiln difficult. But in-line moisture measurement of every board produced is crucial to actually knowing the condition of your customer’s end product.

The hardwood lumber industry is a valued entity in today’s globalized marketplace. Providing the supply chain and everyday consumers with superior products is a hardwood lumber producer’s primary objective. During operations, it’s critical not to sacrifice the quality of a hard-earned, high quality product by letting it be devalued in our manufacturing process. This article unveils some best practices and guidelines when it comes to drying, storing, and transporting hardwood lumber.

The terms renewable energy and clean technology conjure up images of photovoltaic panels baking in the desert sun, wind turbines rotating lazily in the wind, and large dams generating hydro-power. However, there is another important and growing clean energy technology, one geared toward the manufacturing mill, which has recently gained traction in the forest products industry: waste heat recovery.

Here’s your new desktop guide to almost 400 forest products industry equipment manufacturers, suppliers and service businesses and their products. The extensive product list, presented first, is followed by manufacturers. Both groups are listed alphabetically. Note: Manufacturers opting for boldface type or other special treatment paid accordingly. Address all correspondence pertaining to the LBG to Rhonda Thomas, Timber Processing, P.O. Box 5613, Montgomery, AL 36103-5613/334-834-1170/Fax: 334-834-4525.

The latest generation 3D laser line scanners for logs, the LMI chroma+scan 2000 family, have proven very effective in providing high speed, high density 3D profiles—all the dimensional information needed to make rapid, high quality first cut decisions. The only thing that needed to be added to these scanners is ability to detect presence of bark on the logs.