Drying Eucalypts for Quality: Material Characteristics, Pre-drying Treatments, Drying Methods, Schedules and Optimisation of Drying Quality

SYNOPSIS Drying today is recognised as a vital element in the value-added processing of solid wood products and there is currently a strong emphasis on improving drying quality and reducing drying costs. Eucalypts with their characteristically high shrinkage and low mass diffusivity values are notoriously difficult to season without degrade, especially backsawn boards. Considering the premium price which can be fetched for appearance-grade timber, this publication reviews the drying characteristics of eucalypts, various possible pre-drying treatments to enhance ultimate quality and drying rate, the most prevalent drying methods/kilns used, drying schedules to achieve optimum drying conditions, and various measures which can be applied to improve drying quality. The major problem in hardwood drying remains the development of economical ways of drying appearance-grade backsawn timber, free of degrade and in various thicknesses.