Wood-based Industry Research Articles

The readiness of peninsular Malaysia wood-based industries for achieving sustainability

Forests represent a substantial part of global socio-economy platforms. As the wood-based industry contributes large revenue to Malaysia’s economy, the readiness of Peninsular Malaysia towards sustainable wood-based industry was measured based on the different types of wood processing industries and Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) practice. Surveys (1,447) from all operating timber mills according to their raw materials type for wood products processing in Peninsular Malaysia were analyzed using multiple correspondence analysis (MCA). Results showed that the sustainable practice in wood industry by SFM practitioners and non-practitioners were similar. All industries are using outdated technologies and consume local raw materials in producing wood products. The furniture industry is largely aware of SFM and consumes the least amount of logs to produce furniture.

S & T interventions on quality planting material production of Batikuling (Litsea leytensis Merr.) for the wood-based industry of Paete, Laguna, Philippines

The production of high quality planting stocks should not be dependent on the volume and seasonal availability of the seeds of the target forest tree species to be planted. Adopting a scientific way of producing and conserving indigenous forest trees for agroforestry could prevent the use of inferior planting materials. Quality planting material production of a threatened indigenous forest tree species like Batikuling (Litsea leytensis Merr.) is necessary to increase its declining population in forestlands. Wood of Batikuling is used in Paete, Laguna for carving statues, architectural additions, and souvenirs that are known in the country and the world. With the existing clonal forestry facility of Southern Luzon State University, the tree species was produced through vegetative reproduction and raised in a nursery adopting the tested protocol. The process will assure the production of the needed volumes of quality planting stocks at any time of the year without waiting for the flowering or fruiting of forest trees in the wild. The project encouraged greater participation from the local government unit, tree farmers and youth as they showcased their contribution in conserving this important indigenous tree species to increase economic productivity while securing sustainability of ecological services.

Private forest in facing the timber legality regime in Indonesia: the NGOs’ role

Private forest becomes a role model of sustainable forest management in Indonesia. Not only it is able to rehabilitate critical lands, but it also significantly contributes to meet the community daily needs and wood-based industries due to using agroforestry system as its management practice. However, in 2009 the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (MoEF) of Indonesia decided to implement a timber legality assurance system as a mandatory instrument including for private forest. However, the administrations and procedures are complicated. Private forest thus faces new challenges to obey the complication of the system. NGOs are often mentioned as the most contributing actor in solving private forest difficulties. This paper thus attempts to shed light on the challenges faced by private forest because of the timber legality policy and how NGOs take their role.

Strength and micro-structural properties of wood chips composite panel

The increase in activities in the wood-based industries has contributed greatly to deforestation, and this has consequently led to the development of new materials to substitute for the felling of trees. In this study, red Ironwood (Lophira alata) chips and cassava starch were used for the production of particleboard. Chip sizes of 0.85 and 1.7 mm and the dosage and types of binders (cassava starch, urea formaldehyde, and glutaraldehyde-modified cassava starch) were the variables. The ratio of wood chips to the binders was 1.0:1.5. The boards were formed in rectangular moulds. Water absorption, thickness swelling, flexural tests, and material characterisation (scanning electron microscopy) were performed. The data were subjected to analysis of variance. The panels produced with modified cassava starch had the best mechanical properties with the modulus of elasticity ranging from 5.9 to 32.3 N/mm2 but had a higher thickness swelling values ranging from 3 to 59.4%. There was a significant difference (p < 0.01) between the boards manufactured using plain starch and modified starch. These results showed that modified cassava starch is a better binding agent than plain cassava starch in terms of panel MOR and MOE. The developed particleboard can be used for indoor paneling, partitioning, and ceilings.

The EU Bioeconomy: Supporting an Employment Shift Downstream in the Wood-Based Value Chains?

Monitoring employment in the European wood-based bioeconomy requires reliable, consistent, and comparable statistics across subsectors and over time. Statistics concerning employment in wood-based industries—the main component of the forest-based bioeconomy—must be processed carefully to cope with differences in definitions and estimation methods. In addition, specific methods must be applied to estimate wood-based employment in sectors including also non-wood activities. In this study, we first delineate the boundaries of the wood-based bioeconomy, and then create a harmonised time series on employment for the identified sectors. Finally, we estimate the share of wood-based employment along the value chain in all sectors using wood. According to the results, forestry and extended wood-based value chains employed 4.5 million people in the EU-28 in 2018. Employment in wood-based value chains decreased between 2008 and 2013 in the aftermaths of the financial crisis. Continuously decreasing employment—most apparent in the manufacture of solid wood products and pulp and paper—results from increasing productivity and a decreasing demand for graphic paper. Further, most of the wood-based employment in the EU takes place in downstream parts of value chains, although the weight of the primary sector is still high in some Eastern European countries.

Purification of wastewater of some construction materials production

The wastewater of the wood-based industry contains toxic phenols that exceed the maximum allowable values. There is little data on the methods of purification of wastewater of woodworking plants from aromatic compounds and their derivatives in the literature. Therefore, the authors investigated the different effect of ozone on the wastewater of the Ufa plywood-slab plant for the purpose of purification. The flocculating effect of ozone and the physicochemical method (coagulation and flocculation) of wastewater treatment were investigated. The use of ozone in the first stage of wastewater treatment allows reducing the concentration of suspended substances to the required level with the help of an environmentally friendly method and preparing wastewater for oxidative purification from toxic substances. The suggested method is not only more environmentally acceptable, but also more economically reasonable, because reagent acquisition costs are excluded.

Characteristics of straw particles of selected grain species purposed for the production of lignocellulose particleboards

The present paper provides characteristics of three species of grain straw particles applied in the production of lignocellulose particleboards. For the sake of the investigation, rapeseed, rye, and triticale straw were fragmented to the size of particles used in the wood-based materials industry. The aim of the research was to determine physical properties of particle of rapeseed, rye, and triticale straw and to evaluate their usefulness in the process of manufacturing lignocellulose particleboards purposed for building constructions. Another aspect of the work was to determine the influence of moisture content of straw particles (using rapeseed straw as an example) on properties of the manufactured particleboards made with its use. The conclusion is that each of the investigated materials is characterized by different geometry, poured and tapped bulk density, varied angle of repose, and slippery angle of repose. Differences in sizes and shapes of particles of various grain species and in their moisture content strongly affect properties of particleboards produced with their use. The investigations prove that the best properties are observed for rye straw particleboards. However, due to their physical parameters, difficulties in storage, transport, and particleboards production may happen to be more considerable than in case of other materials.

ANALYSIS OF EXPORT POLICY OF TIMBER TRADE IN THE CONDITIONS OF INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ACTIVITY

The position of Ukraine and the EU regarding the moratorium which is introduced on the export of rough wood was considered in the paper. The preconditions for introducing a ban of the exports of timber are analyzed. The analysis and generalization of domestic normative legal acts and international commitments of the WTO and Ukraine, including the Association Agreement between the EU and Ukraine and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), in the field of forestry regulation, is conducted. The actual problems in the forest product industry of Ukraine are found out. The main objective of the article is to propose recommendations for the development of the export policy of timber trade in conditions of European integration that will not contradict the international obligations of Ukraine. Investigations have shown that in the provisions of the GATT and the Association Agreement there are exceptions, which allow non-compliance of commitments in certain extreme cases. However, in adopted bills there is no ample evidence regarding the necessity of applying or restricting exports. Based on international experience, the impact of the export ban on the timber industry as a whole has been determined. It has been established that the wood-based industry receives positive effects only in the short-term period. However, all sectors of forest product industry will be negatively affected in the long-term period. Recommendations on the development of export policy for timber trade by abolishing import duties and value added tax for equipment for forest-based processing enterprises, the analogues of which are not made in Ukraine, for the purpose of modernization of equipment and further development of the forest-based industry, have been given. Based on the experience of European countries, it is proposed to export timber using the “residual method”, that is, primarily to provide raw materials to domestic producers, and to introduce export duties on roundwood production. After analyzing alternative ways of developing Ukraine’s export policy regarding timber trade in conditions of European integration, based on the escalation of tariff and tariff barriers, optimal rates of ad valorem and specific export duties have been proposed. With the justified introduction of export duties, the restriction of domestic consumption of timber, the abolition of import duties on the necessary equipment for wood processing, which are not analogous to those produced in Ukraine, all prerequisites for the development of domestic forestry are created.

Paper Industries Corporation of the Philippines (PICOP): Its History and Socio- Economic Impact in Bislig City, Surigao Del Sur

Paper Industries Corporation of the Philippines, popularly known as PICOP, is a multi- billion-peso wood-based industry operating the only fully integrated pulp and paper mill in Southeast Asia in 1963. Its timber and paper products are known both in local and international markets. It has also the biggest share of forest concessions among other timber and paper corporations in Mindanao. It operates of about 182, 682 hectares in the eastern cost of Mindanao. PICOP’s establishment in 1963 and its productive years of operations through the years had significantly contributed to the development of the socio- economic conditions of the municipality of Bislig. Thus, Bislig City’s development was and end result of PICOP’s corporate design to give the local community economic and social equity through local employment, infrastructural development and long-term livelihood. However, PICOP’s productive years was beleaguered by both external and internal problems--- natural calamities; national economic and political instability; high fuel costs in the international market; unfavorable national market conditions due to market globalization; subtle effects of full privatization; emergence of poachers, smugglers and other unscrupulous illegal log buyers within PICOP’s areas of concessions; and the legal and environmental constraints, affected PICOP’s operation, production, and financial standing that forced PICOP to shut down in 2006. PICOP, now PRI Resource Incorporated (PRI), shutdown in 2006 is a great loss to the community, especially to the local economy of Bislig City, which became almost dependent to PRI’s operations, and the problem of unemployment surfaced. Until this time PRI’s condition is still a national issue that warranted the attention of many policy makers. Furthermore, Bislig City’s local government never lost hope that the national government will find a more feasible solution to redress the problem.

Surface growth stress and wood properties of 8-year-old planted Big-leaf mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla King) from different landrace provenances and trial sites in the Philippines

The scarcity of timber to supply the wood-based industries is one of the prevailing problems worldwide. Tree plantations are the remaining solutions to subdue the shortage of raw materials, at the same time sequester atmospheric CO2 in its biomass to reduce global warming. Planting Big-leaf mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla King) contributes valuable economic inputs to small tree farmers in the Philippines. However, the occurrence of lumber defects during processing due to growth stresses reduces the potential value of timber. This study aimed to examine the differences of surface growth stresses and wood properties of an 8-year-old BL mahogany from six landrace provenances in two progeny trial sites, Butuan and Cagayan de Oro in the Philippines. The longitudinal released strains of the surface growth stress (SRS) were not significantly different among six landrace provenances and between two trial sites. The SRS were not significantly related to diameter at breast height (DBH) in both trial sites. The high level of negative SRS was observed in some tested trees with small diameter in both trial sites, which was attributed to the tension wood formation in an irregular-shaped stem. The xylem density (XD), average microfibril angle in the secondary cell wall (MFA), vessel element length (VL) and vessel element width (VW) had no significant differences among six landrace provenances. In terms of trial sites, Butuan trial site gave high lateral growth DBH, high XD, longer fiber length (FL) with a narrow fiber width (FW) and smaller MFA as compared to the Cagayan de Oro trial site. It was observed that an 8-year-old BL mahogany plantation with small-diameter trees exhibited high SRS, low XD, small FL, wide FW and large MFA, which are passively considered as properties of juvenile wood.

Coconut fibres and laminates with Jabon trunk (Anthocephalus cadamba Miq.) veneer for hybrid plywood composites: dimensional stability and mechanical properties

Jabon wood (Anthocephalus cadamba Miq.) and coconut fibres currently appear to be the most viable raw material alternative in wood-based industries. This study examines the hybrid composites incorporating the Jabon trunk veneer and coconut fibres in a plywood product and analyses its properties. The samples were arranged into five-ply hybrid plywoods based on coconut fibre arrangements, comprising coconut woven fibre mats (HPWF) and coconut non-woven fibre mats (HPRF). Hybrid plywood with a thickness of 14 mm was cold pressed and hot pressed using urea formaldehyde (UF) and phenol formaldehyde (PF) resin, respectively. The dimensional stability and mechanical properties of the Jabon plywood and hybrid plywood composites were analysed. The hybridisation of coconut fibres with the Jabon trunk improved the dimensional stability and mechanical properties of plywood, such as its density, thickness swelling, bending, and screw withdrawal, especially for hybrid plywood using PF. Similarly, HPRF also demonstrated an increase in dimensional stability and mechanical properties. The weak bonding interface between the coconut fibre and formaldehyde matrix caused fibre-pull-out to happen in the hybrid plywood composite. The HPRF had better properties than HPWF. Statistical analyses show that coconut fibre arrangement of woven mats, and non-woven mats, and types of adhesive of UF, and PF did affect dimensional stability and mechanical properties, even though the interaction between the two did not affect density.

Initial Public Offering (IPO) as a Potential Source of Capital for the Development of the Wood-based Industry Enterprises in Poland

Abstract The quest for new sources of financing for the development of green economy sectors and enterprises is one of the challenges to effective management. This study verifies whether a relationship exists between the activity of selected companies who access the capital market in search for new financing sources, their development level and their competitive edge. The sample used in this study was composed of companies from the forestry and wood-based sector (a major part of the Polish economy) listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. The Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) was used to assess the development level of selected enterprises. The main recommendations were formulated based on the findings from the analysis of performance ratios and from the comparative and descriptive analysis of data on stock exchange transactions in the wood-based sector. This is because the assumption was made that by becoming more active in the capital market and, as a consequence, by strengthening their competitive position, the enterprises covered by this study may contribute to adding value in the circular economy.

Effects of the resin content and particle size on the properties of particleboard made of Neolamarckia and Leucaena particles

A shortage in the rubberwood supply is becoming a reality in Malaysia. To find alternative raw materials for Malaysian wood-based industries, fast-growing species have been identified and need to be analyzed in particleboard manufacturing. This study evaluated the properties of particleboard made with a 50:50 ratio of Neolamarckia cadamba and Leucaena leucocephala with melamine urea formaldehyde as the resin at different contents (10%, 12%, and 14%) and particle sizes (1.0 mm, 2.0 mm, and unscreened particles). The particleboards were tested according to EN 312 (2003). The results showed that the particleboard mechanical properties were significantly improved with increase of the resin content and particle size. The thickness swelling value dropped as resin content was increased, showing better stability of the board.

Analysing Data Sources' Suitability to Support Forest Policy Decision-Making in the Czech Republic

Growing stock, increment, realised felling and potential wood supply are important indicators for strategic policy decision-making in woodbased industry sectors. The aim of the article is to analyse two different data sources, the Forest Management Plans and Guidelines (FMPG) and the National Forest Inventory (NFI), used for the evaluation and prediction of these indicators in the Czech Republic. The differences between the two sources were analysed in terms of their credibility and suitability to support policy decision-making at the state, regional and local levels. Although the FMPG play an important role in policy decision-making, they are not able to determine indicators such as damage inflicted by game, forest regeneration or changes in soil conditions. The NFI, on the other hand, should provide up-to-date results every five years. Unlike the FMPG, where the collected information is reduced, the NFI is a flexible tool for the incorporation of new requirements in measurements.

Effects on forest products markets of second-generation biofuel production based on biomass from boreal forests: a case study from Norway

ABSTRACTSecond-generation biofuels are often seen as essential element in the future bioeconomy strategy. Countries with extensive forest resources such as Norway often view wood as preferred bio-feedstock, yet the effects of wood demand on assortments of harvested wood and other wood-based industries are unclear. Focusing on the importance of feedstock choice, we analyse the impacts of establishing a second-generation medium-scale biofuel plant in Norway. For the analysis, a dynamic forest sector model where the choice of tree species, wood assortments, production of bioenergy, and forest industry products are explicitly included, was applied. We find the optimal biofuel feedstock mix to be dominated by softwood chips from pulpwood comprising 48% of total biomass inputs in 2030 and increasing to 67% by 2055, followed by hardwood chips from birch, comprising initially 34% of total biomass inputs and 16% by 2055. The proportion of harvest residues remained constant at about 18% over time and roundwood was not used at all for biofuel production. Despite the additional demand for chips, the single medium-scale biofuel plant will have only minor effects on existing forest industries and harvests in Norway, as the domestic impact is dampened by changes in foreign trade flows, especially of chips.

Intersectoral and Intermunicipal Cooperation as a Tool for Supporting Local Economic Development: Prospects for the Forest and Wood-Based Sector in Poland

Intersectoral and intermunicipal cooperation are still underdeveloped spheres of public and economic development policies. This also applies to the natural economy to a large extent. Scientific discussions are invariably focused on pro-competitive activities, the economic efficiency of which is not always sufficient. In this paper the authors attempt to identify factors leading to cooperation between local government authorities and economic entities focusing on the forestry and wood-based sector in Poland. These processes were analyzed within the framework of the Spatial Economics and New Institutional Economy, both in the theoretical and practical context. The aim of the research was to identify the ability to create intersectoral and intermunicipal partnerships in already existing and newly established functional areas, as this may determine the development of the forestry and wood-based industry.

Sustainability of wood harvesting in tropical rainforest of Nigeria

Over the years, Nigerian tropical rainforest has become the main source of timber supply to many countries which were in critical need of timber to feed their wood-based industries. The increase in population has led to increase in the demands for forest products, specifically wood for construction. Improper harvesting practices has substantially degraded the tropical forest that future timber values may be reduced. Sustainable wood harvesting focuses on the trees that are remaining rather than on the trees that are to be fell. Proper wood harvesting and management method must be adopted to facilitate the regeneration of the forest. Efficient wood harvesting in Nigeria requires the construction of landing sites as collection points for the harvested timbers and adequate training must be provided to the operators of the diverse harvesting equipment. With proper timber harvesting techniques, the damages caused by logging can be minimized. Functional forest policies that guide against over-exploitation of timber should be enacted. Reduced impact logging should be incorporated into sustainable forest management to reduce devastating damages to the residual trees in the forest.

The physical properties of treated oil palm veneer used as face layer for laminated veneer lumber

The depletion of our tropical timber supply has encouraged the Malaysian wood-based industry to seek alternative resources such as fast-growing plantation trees and crops for wood-based products. Oil palm tree (Elaeis guinensis) has been identified as one of the potential alternative raw materials for the production of value-added products such as plywood, laminated veneer lumber (LVL) and even solid oil palm lumber. As we know, the properties of oil palm lumber or veneer is inferior to those of wood. Modification and treatment to the oil palm are needed to enhance the quality and dimensional stability. The main objective of this study is to determine the physical properties of LVLs made from oil palm veneers (OPVs) treated with low molecular weight phenol formaldehyde (LMWPF) resin with different resin solid content and different initial moisture content (MC) of veneer. OPVs were soaked into LMWPF and re-dried to semi gel condition before being hot-pressed. There was no additional resin was added to bond the veneers together into LVL. The physical properties such as density, moisture content, thickness swelling, water absorption and weight percent gain were determined in this study. The results showed that the LVLs made by treated OPVs exhibited better physical properties compared to LVLs made from untreated OPVs but still inferior with rubberwood LVL. It can be concluded that treating OPVs prior to their usage for LVL-making is essential and effective to produce LVLs with convincing physical properties.

Innovation in the Malaysian furniture industry: Drivers and challenges

The Malaysian furniture industry is the country’s fastest growing sub-sector within the wood-based industry, and its socio-economic importance cannot be taken lightly. The industry is driven primarily by comparative advantages derived from low cost factor inputs, which has eroded in recent years due to escalating production cost. Further, the increasing competition from other cheaper producing nations, particularly China and Vietnam, is also putting a damper on the future competitiveness of the industry in Malaysia. To remain competitive, the Malaysian furniture industry must transform and advance the value-chain through innovation and value-addition. Although the government has played a pivotal role in providing a broad policy framework to support value-adding and innovative activities, success has been limited. This study evaluated the extent of innovation and its sources in the Malaysian furniture industry through an internet-based survey. The results indicated that external sources of innovation were more important than internal sources. The factor analysis showed that external inputs, market demand, and in-house research and development were the most important drivers of the innovation in the Malaysian furniture industry. Therefore, the furniture industry in Malaysia will require policy support to enhance its inherent capability for innovation in the long-term.

Impacts of changing coniferous and non-coniferous wood supply on forest product markets: a German scenario case study

Management strategies which encourage the conversion of coniferous forests to mixed and deciduous stands potentially increase the share of non-coniferous timber in wood supply over the next decades. The objective of this study is to examine possible market impacts from changing wood supply modeled in the German Forest Development and Timber Volume Model (WEHAM) Scenario. Special emphasis is paid to decreasing coniferous timber availability and the ramifications this development might have on the wood-based industry in Germany. For this purpose, our study introduces the GFPMCNC, a modified version of the Global Forest Products Model (GFPM) which distinguishes coniferous and non-coniferous industrial roundwood as different raw materials and coniferous and non-coniferous sawnwood as additional products on global level. In the GFPMCNC, wood-based panels and pulp could be made from a mix of two roundwood commodities instead of one single input factor. The base period for this study is 2012. Results are reported by 2015 and in the following in mid-period intervals at 5-year steps until 2050. The WEHAM Scenario impact analysis reveals that limited coniferous raw materials lead to lower wood manufacturing activities and declining exports of coniferous sawnwood at the same time as German imports of coniferous industrial roundwood and wood pulp increase over time.