Until recently, there have been limited opportunities to efficiently process small-diameter trees into high-value wood products, because conventional processing methods generally have very low recovery of products from small-diameter trees. As a consequence, large areas of forests including plantations are underutilised and often regarded as low quality. Production of veneer products has been part of the wood processing sector in many countries, but the capital investment required and the necessary scale of operation was a barrier to adoption in the pacific islands. The following resources present new technologies for veneer processing operations that can utilise small-diameter trees grown by farmers:
- Introductory videos showing selection of veneer processing techniques
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Technical guide to manufacturing rotary veneer and products from small logs
Introductory videos:
These 2 videos show how new, engineered wood product designs are developed using wood veneers and a variety of construction techniques at the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries' Salisbury Research Facility in Brisbane.
Technical guide to manufacturing rotary veneer and products from small logs:
New, spindleless lathe technology has opened up fresh opportunities for manufacturing high-value wood products from small trees. This manual provides technical information about producing veneer from small logs as well as processing high-value engineered wood products. It is an outcome of several completed ACIAR projects funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR).
Click on the link below to view and download the manual:
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A guide to manufacturing rotary veneer and products from small logs (ACIAR monograph series)