Woodchipping in Australia

Woodchipping plant at the Port of Geelong, Australia

Woodchipping is the act and industry of chipping wood for pulp. Timber is converted to woodchips and sold, primarily, for paper manufacture. In Australia, woodchips are produced by clearcutting or thinning of native forests or plantations. In other parts of the world, forestry practices such as short rotation coppice are the usual methods adopted.

Uses of wood chips includes the manufacture of particle board (or 'chip board') and other engineered woods, mulch and fuel.

Sources and process

Historically, the primary sources of wood chips in Australia has been the extensive Eucalyptus hardwood forests found throughout temperate areas of the country. In more recent times, a significant proportion comes from managed hardwood and softwood plantations.

During the late 1960s and '70s the high demand for paper and the relatively low cost and availability of the native forests made the establishment of a woodchipping industry a viable proposition. Conversely, the establishment of a woodchipping industry made it economically feasible to clearfell areas of mixed or substandard forest that could not otherwise have been felled. Clearfelling is a controversial forest practice in Australia, and opponents argue that the woodchipping industry is culpable for its continuation.

Woodchips are converted into a fibre that can be made into various grades of paper or rayon for the textile industry. Most processing and value adding takes place outside of Australia. [1] The Australian economy benefits directly from a low cost and high volume export commodity. [2]

Usage

Main article: Paper

Wood chips, as a by-product of the timber industry, have been used in many ways for centuries, for example as a material for the production of wallpaper or as a disposable floor covering in butchers shop or drinking houses. Wood pulp is the primary market for the woodchipping industry in Australia.

The practice, known as woodchipping, was to make use of most of the woody material in a tree to produce wood chips. This was then converted into paper, hardwood pulp is mainly used for printing paper and softwood pulp is added for good quality.[3] An energy intensive process, it also involved the use of bleaches and other toxic chemicals. This stage of the process, known as Kraft pulping, was primarily performed in Japan and elsewhere. High demand for paper products saw purpose built bulk carriers increase the export of woodchips from Australia to Japan.

The separation of the chipping stage and the pulping and paper mills required the supply of energy usually sourced from by-products of the process. Additional energy expenditure is found in the shipping of raw materials and export of the finished product.

See also

Woodchips, Eden, New South Wales

Woodchip mill companies and locations

Woodchip critics and opponents

Notes

References

  1. ↑ Dept. of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (2007-01-13). "Why Australia needs a Wood and Paper Industry Strategy". DAFF. Retrieved 2007-03-13. It will also help cut Australia s bill for imports of wood and paper products. Imports of these products currently exceed our exports by $2 billion a year.
  2. ↑ Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (15 November 2005). "Australian Forest and Wood Product Statistics. March–June quarters 2005" (PDF). abareconomics. ISSN 1449-1850. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-05-06. Retrieved 2007-03-13. 1999 - 2003-04 ($m); 'Logs category' Hardwood sawlogs 249.2 250.0 244.1 259.2 249.2: Softwood sawlogs b 404.2 467.1 591.0 608.5 578.3 : Cypress sawlogs 18.7 22.2 22.5 22.9 22.8 : Plywood and veneer logs 34.5 37.9 34.8 44.8 39.2 : Wood panels pulplogs 55.2 56.8 44.7 57.8 51.7  : Export woodchip hardwood pulplogs 300.4 328.2 291.9 349.0 338.0 : Export woodchip softwood pulplogs 62.0 81.8 52.0 50.3 64.8 : Paper pulplogs 106.3 97.4 88.0 120.8 138.3 (emphasis added)
  3. ↑ "Forest Products Commission - Education - Products from Trees - developing the sustainable use of the States plantation and native forest resources in Western Australia". www.fpc.wa.gov.au. Archived from the original on 2008-07-20. Retrieved 2008-03-11.

Further reading

External links

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