Correspondence Analysis as a Tool Towards Optimizing the use of White Birch in the Panel Industry

This study examines parts distribution for lumber sawn from conventional-length and short-length logs. Select, No. 1 Common, and No. 2A Common white birch lumber was simulation-processed using both ripfirst and crosscut-first processing methods with a typical panel-industry cutting order. A white birch database was developed and used to simulate crosscut-first and ripfirst rough mills and determine the effects of the species physiomorphological characteristics on yield.ROMI-RIP and ROMI-CROSS simulations show that conventional-length lumber offers the greatest production flexibility because it is able to produce long and wide components. These components can be broken down into combinations of shorter length parts. Lumber from the short log sawmill produces a greater variety of components in order to maximize part yield from the lumber.Correspondence analysis determined that lumber grade and processing method are the two variables explaining most of the variability in component production. Overall lumber type (from conventional—versus short log sawmill) contributed less among the sources of variability in the model. When component distributions were analyzed on a per grade basis, lumber type was more important than process choice in explaining component variability, for the highest and lowest grade lumber. For No. 1 Common lumber, the process explained relatively more of the variability in comparison to the other grades