TIMBER RESEARCH FOR PROPOSED N.Z. PAPER INDUSTRY

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 22949, 18 May 1949, Page 4

TIMBER RESEARCH FOR PROPOSED N.Z. PAPER INDUSTRY

The establishment of a large-scale pulp and paper industry in New Zealand is being helped by scientific tests that were made on timber samples. Means are also being sought for other uses of our timber resources. The manufacture of pulp and paper, which the Government has recently announced is to be carried out on a large scale in New Zealand, calls for investigations by research workers on the chemical composition of our trees. For some time the organic section of the Dominion Laboratory, Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, have been making analytical investigations on exotic pines grown in this country. Every one or two months analyses have been made of no fewer than 30 to 40 samples of various woods taken from representative zones of the tree. The resin and other extractives are isolated in the samples, and examination is then made on chemical differences. The resin content of wood for the production of pulp is of considerable practical importance. Too high a resin content can cause pulping difficulties unless provision is made for dealing with it. Handled in a suitable manner this resin may be useful for conversion to the sizing material usually added to paper pulp in the form of resin compounds. It has been found that insignis pine has a higher resin content in the heart than in the sapwood, and it is hoped that the present investigations will lead to the devising of a satisfactory field test for distinguishing between wood of high and low resin content. Other research work taking place includes investigations on the woods of native trees, the rimu and the tawa. Means are" sought for the chemical conversion of .waste timber and sawdust into plastic powder that can be moulded or used with resin plastic. It is hoped to include in these investigations experiments on the improvement of the durability of timber, and the plastic modifications of plywood surfaces in order to improve durability and appearance.