Economics of Protective Treatments for Unseasoned Hem-Fir Lumber

摘要

Traditionally, British Columbia Coast sawmills have shipped unseasoned Hem-Fir lumber with anti-sapstain treatment to off-shore markets. This report examines two alternatives to the antisapstain treatment; namely, kiln drying and Timborising. Analyses of return on investment (ROI) for the three processes, for shipments to the U.K. and to the U.S.A., have been carried out. The results indicate that anti-sapstain treatment is still the most economic alternative for the bulk of coastal Hem-Fir production. However, Timborising for the U.K. market and kiln drying for the U.S. market offer attractive ROIs, but only for limited volumes of production.