Log quality and chip quality of domestic hardwood
2015
Kobayashi, I. (Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute (Japan)) | Fujimoto, K. | Matsumura, Y. | Murata, K. | Goto, T. | Nishimura, K.
Despite the fact that the price of domestic wood chips has been lower than that for imported wood chips for more than 10 years, imported wood chips have retained a larger share of the Japanese market. There may be several reasons for this situation, but whatever be the reason, the quality and stable supply of domestic wood chips is vital to boost their market share. However, the quality of the wood chips being offered by paper-manufacturing companies is neither publicized nor has the quality of domestic wood chips currently being distributed ever been researched. In this study, we conducted interviews and field investigations in wood chips factories in order to determine the quality of logs and wood chips currently being distributed in the Japanese market. To investigate the quality of wood chips in wood chips factories, we measured the size, moisture content, and density of logs as well as the mix rates of bark, damaged chips, and extraneous materials. We confirmed that the quality of wood chips being manufactured in almost all Japanese factories satisfies the criterion of quality and that wood chips factories have sufficient technical capabilities. In the future, we consider that the establishment of a stable supply of wood chips will be a critical factor for boosting the consumption of domestic hardwood chips.
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