Flow Blue

What happens to all that blue-stained pine wood?

It is no mystery that the recent outbreak of mountain pine beetle has affected British Columbia forests and will continue for the following years as it continues to consume many more millions of hectares of forest lands.

Mountain pine beetles successfully kill trees by laying eggs into pine bark and transmitting blue-stain fungi. This blue-stain fungus in the tree’s sapwood prevents the tree from fighting back the beetle using pitch flow. Ultimately the fungus blocks nutrient and water flow within the tree until the tree turns red and eventually dies. The beetles then move to other trees and the cycle starts all over again. Pictured above are British Columbia lodgepole pine trees killed by the mountain pine beetle. Without new products and technologies that drive demand for wood products made from blue-stained wood, these trees are just left to rot, carbon stored in the wood is released back into the atmosphere, and the resources are lost.

Although many customers frown upon the appearance of a blue or grayish stain on their wood, fortunately the wood’s strength is not adversely affected by the blue-stain fungi. If the wood is harvested sufficiently on time, the wood quality is just as good as a harvested ‘healthy tree’ that was harvested normally. Many companies try to recover the value from this pine beetle wood, mainly because it is perfectly good wood and because by doing so, the carbon is trapped in the wood for decades in the form of products instead of being released back into the atmosphere as it rots. . Blue-stained fungi carried by mountain pine beetle does not adversely affect wood strength but wood must be harvested early enough. Pine beetle wood story

SeasonWood utilizes a new European technology that is called thermal modification. Originated in Europe because wood in Europe is expensive and longevity is imperative, this technology works by subjecting wood to steam and high temperatures to produce a darker, more durable, and more stable wood product. Thermal modification has been used in mountain pine beetle killed trees to produce many products. The blue-stain left by the fungi is virtually masked by the darkening from thermal modification, and the enhanced durability and stability properties of thermally modified wood seriously challenge the properties of species such as western red cedar. By taking commodity lumber and modifying it using green technologies, SeasonWood provides customers with a sustainable, chemical-free, and affordable alternative for great wood products.

How can thermally modified softwoods be used? SeasonWood has utilized thermally mountain pine beetle stock to produce beautiful lumber for thermally modified decking, siding, and various other outdoor products requiring durability, stability, and a visually appealing characteristic. Thermal modification can be used for outdoor products which are exposed to the elements such as decking. It is often used to modify lower value wood such as pine to compete with traditional species like western red cedar.

Thermally modified wood for decking Thermal modification has been used to manufacture products such as high-end cabinetry and musical instruments by using species like aspen, birch, alder, elm, ash, red oak, poplar, maple, white oak, and hickory. Some enhanced wood properties are masking of blue stain in pine beetle wood, darker wood color, and increased dimensional stability through less shrinkage and swelling. This allows lower value species to be enhanced to compete with more expensive tropical woods.Softwoods have been thermally modified to produce outdoor products such as millwork and fascia. Those thermally modified species include lodgepole pine, ponderosa pine, douglas fir, mountain pine beetle wood, southern yellow pine, hemlock, larch, white spruce, engelmann spruce, and black spruce.

About the Author

Manuel is a 3rd year university student at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, BC. He is working towards his Bachelor of Science in Wood Products Processing while also participating in his program’s co-op program. He has experience in design and manufacturing of wood products as well as marketing of wood products in North America.

Haibane Renmei – Blue Flow – Blue Flow

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