Australian Hardwood Drying Best Practice Part 2

Across Australia, hardwood producers process and dry a wide variety of native hardwood species into high quality visual and commodity structural products.

Like the species they process, these producers vary considerably in their skill, capacity and potential. However, to produce stable timber to an acceptable market grade consistently and profitably, they all face the same issues.

Australian hardwoods are natural materials with variable properties. This variability has to be recognised and managed;

The timber from Australia's hardwoods must be dried from its original unseasoned condition to a moisture content suitable for its intended use if it is to remain stable;

The timber must generally be dried slowly and with care. If the timber is subject to significant adverse conditions at any time as it dries, it may be damaged and lose value; and

The producer needs to recover the maximum volume and valu of dry material efficiently from the wood resource they have available.

To address these, the drying process must be managed and conducted effectively and efficiently. This is not the job of a single person. It must be the responsibility of everyone involved in the process. This requires that a "best practice" approach be used.