Canadian Kiln Drying Survey: Benchmarks of Problems and Issues and a Comparison to Europe

Despite the importance of the wood products industry to Canada, scarce information currently exists regarding the general kiln drying situation across the country. A mail survey was conducted to benchmark the kiln drying problems and issues that the industry faces. Topics covered by the study included dried product quality problems, drying process and kiln control issues, and level of kiln drying related knowledge of different groups of stakeholders such as kiln operators, kiln equipment suppliers, distributors, sales personnel and customers. The research design allowed a comparison of these results with kiln drying problems and issues in major European lumber producing countries.

Results indicated that drying process and kiln control issues were generally considered important to Canadian producers, with the most important ones being quality control during drying and airflow. Dried product quality issues were only of moderate concern, with the spread of final moisture content between boards and achieving target moisture content being considered the most pressing issues. Finally, various stakeholders appeared to be knowledgeable about kiln drying issues, with kiln operators having the highest level of knowledge.

The comparison between the kiln drying situation in Canada and Europe revealed that drying process and kiln control issues were more important for Canadian companies than for the European counterparts. However, dried product quality issues were considered to be more serious in Europe. A possible explanation for these results is the structure of the Canadian wood products industry, which is more focused on primary wood products and volume maximization and less concerned about product quality. The generally superior wood supply in Canada could also account for fewer problems with drying defects.