High-value wood products will only be successful if the material used in the their production is of a high quality and meets the performance requirements expected under a wide range of service conditions. Wood drying is a key component of the wood processing value-chain; it not only consumes the largest amount of time and energy but in terms of value adding it also controls a high proportion of the potential profit or loss. In PNG, wood is also commonly attacked by borer beetles and termites that degrade dry timber in storage, as well as timber products in service. Careful consideration of the gluing characteristics of timbers for specific wood product applications is also critical. The following timber drying and preservation resources are currently available:
- Technical factsheets for drying and protecting wood in PNG
- Best practice manuals for drying, gluing and protecting wood in PNG
- Technical reports on wood processing research undertaken in PNG
Technicial factsheets:
These 2 user-friendly workshop pamphlets are an output of the ACIAR Project: Development of durable engineered wood products in PNG and Australia:
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Kiln Drying Factsheet - Outlines the critical steps for delivering timber dried to the required moisture and stress conditions, with minimal degrade (refer to the Best Practice Manual below for technical details). - Pest Protection Factsheet - Outlines practical options for treating timber in PNG from harvest to mill (refer to the Pest Protection Prescriptions Report below for technical details).
Technical manuals:
These best practice manuals have been written in a concise style with simple tables, line drawings and photos, and are outputs of the ACIAR Project: Development of durable engineered wood products in PNG and Australia.
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Guide to Adhesives and Adhesive Selection in PNG - Provides a guide to adhesives and adhesive selection for engineered wood products (both structurala and non-structural)
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Manual for Wood Drying in PNG - Provides sawmill owners and operators with best practice guidelines on drying timber in PNG, together with practical recommendations for improving workplace safety and housekeeping.
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Manual for Wood Gluing in PNG - Provides workshop owners and operators with best practice guidelines for selecting and using adhesives that result in a durable and fit for purpose product suitable to the application.
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Manual for Wood Preservation in PNG - Provides workshop owners and operators with best practice guidelines for selecting and using preservatives in line with the PNG and Australian Standards.
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Manual for Wood Handling and Storage in PNG - Provides manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors with best practices for the preparation, packaging and storage of engineered wood products.
Technical reports:
These 8 technical reports are outputs of the ACIAR Projects: Development of durable engineered wood products in PNG and Australia and Enhancing value added wood processing in Papua New Guinea.
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Drying of Wood in PNG - Provides sawmill owners and operators with recommendations for improvements and a protocol for trained kiln operators and researchers to perform a more detailed drying audit.
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Pest Protection Prescriptions - Provides sawmill owners and operators with a review of treatments that may be used to control the major insect pests of dry timber in PNG and Australia for a variety of applications and species.
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Testing the physical and mechanical properties of 26 PNG timber species - Assesses the mechanical properties of 9 plantation and 17 secondary forest timbers using 2,641 small clear specimens from 130 trees.
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Testing the machining characteristics of 25 PNG timber species - Assesses the machineability behaviour of 8 plantation and 17 secondary forest timbers using a standard moulder machine.
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Testing the gluing characteristics of 24 PNG timber species - Assesses the gluability behaviour of 7 plantation and 17 secondary forest timbers sourced from the Morobe and West New Britain provinces
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Testing the treatment characteristics of 10 PNG timber species - Assesses the pressure treatment characteristics of selected species from the Oomsis secondary forest in Morobe Province.
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Testing the treatability properties of 28 PNG timber species - Assesses the pressure treatment characteristics of 11 plantation and 17 secondary forest timbers.
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Potential uses of 9 plantation and 17 secondary forest timbers - Provides recommendations on the type of products and their applications for the 26 species tested (see the 5 reports above).