PLANER MILL UPGRADE TO IMPROVE TRAINING, RESEARCH

PRINCE GEORGE – The Province has granted $50,000 to the College of New Caledonia (CNC) to upgrade its planer mill and develop imaging technology that will yield more lumber in sawmill processing and capture more economic value from beetle-affected logs, Forests and Range Minister Pat Bell announced today.

“In addition to improved training for planer mill technicians and millwright apprentices, this grant will help CNC enter the field of terahertz research,” said Bell. “Terahertz technology uses the electromagnetic spectrum to detect internal cracks in a log that are invisible to the naked eye. By identifying where defects are located before the wood is planed or milled, we are able to avoid waste and produce more lumber.”

The College of New Caledonia will use the $50,000 from the Ministry of Forests and Range to purchase and install new equipment to power the planer and to meet safety standards for partnering in an applied research project with University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) and Del-Tech Manufacturing. UNBC and Del-Tech are involved in research and development activities focused on terahertz imaging systems and their application in the forest industry, particularly to the recovery of beetle-wood.

“This investment puts an amazing piece of equipment on the floor of our trades and technology centre to help our instructors provide CNC students with the most up-to-date and quality training available,” said College of New Caledonia president John Bowman. “It also provides us with the means to join an applied research partnership that will help advance terahertz research for industry implementation.”

Mountain pine beetle-attacked timber has a limited shelf life for use in dimension lumber. It becomes more difficult to process as it dries out and cracks, which limits the amount of useful lumber that can be produced. Terahertz imaging technology is being investigated for its potential to maximize beetle-wood’s economic value.

“Technology advances such as terahertz imaging systems are part of the solution for mitigating the mid-term timber supply impacts created by the mountain pine beetle,” said Prince George-Omineca MLA John Rustad. “It’s great to see two post-secondary institutions from the Prince George area integrated with industry in this innovative approach to the beetle challenge.”

Terahertz frequencies are between infrared and microwave radiation on the electromagnetic spectrum, and are much safer and can be less expensive to generate than ionizing radiation such as X-rays.

“The planer mill upgrade at the College of New Caledonia will create a state-of-the-art training facility for the millwrights and planer technicians of the future,” said Prince George-Mount Robson MLA Shirley Bond. “The Province is committed to supporting post-secondary education opportunities that allow students to complete training closer to home. CNC is working hard to build programs that do just that.”

UNBC and Del-Tech started the terahertz applied research project in April 2008. Del-Tech is a primary manufacturer of biomass-fuelled systems that supply thermal energy for lumber kilns, material dryers, board presses, power generation, and plant heating systems. Del-Tech is also a designer of manufacturing machinery for the forest industry.

Recovering maximum value from beetle-attacked timber is a key objective in the provincial Mountain Pine Beetle Action Plan. For more information on the action plan, or to download a copy, visit www.gov.bc.ca/pinebeetle.

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Media contact:	Vivian Thomas Communications Manager Ministry of Forests and Range 250 387-5728

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