Integration in the forest industry of British Columbia is a complex phenomenon. Its history is almost as long as that of the industry itself. The industry is multi-faceted, with many spheres of concern and activity, and the process of integration has necessarily been a highly differentiated one. Characteristically, it has developed at different rates and to different degrees in and between each of the various sectors of activity. This thesis will examine the growth of integration in the forest industry of British Columbia and will inquire into the fundamental factors of influence in the development of this phenomenon. The terminology applied to the various types of integration is reasonably standard and self explanatory. However, for the sake of clarity and since the industry is a complex one, it is appropriate to discuss the precise application of these terms in this thesis. There are four basic components of the British Columbia forest industry—forestry, harvesting, conversion, and marketing. Only the first of these functions remains substantially outside the private domain, and in consequence of this, timber control is generally treated as a function in itself. Within each of these sectors one finds the process of horizontal integration whereby like entities become amalgamated. This is generally referred to as concentration or as consolidation. In the conversion or manufacturing sector, activity is sufficiently differentiated by output that four major product groups may be identified—lumber, shingles, plywood, and wood pulp. Integration between these sectors is vertical integration. Integration between any of the four functions in the industry (e.g. logging, conversion, etc.) is referred to as vertical integration. It involves the inclusion of two or more industry functions within a single corporate structure. Not all integration is corporate however, and various forms of cooperative integration are prevalent throughout the industry. This is an extremely important aspect of industry structure, and it is found in harvesting (contract logging), conversion (log exchange, residue sales), and marketing (consortium selling.) The major environmental forces acting upon the industry lie in three principal areas—the nature of the raw material base, the activities of government, and the nature of the market environment. Their influences upon integration have always been a combination of pressure and facilitation. Government, for instance, has introduced forest utilization regulations and large-scale and semi-permanent tenures. The former development has put great pressure on firms to integrate, while the latter has facilitated the formation of large-scale manufacturing operations. In marketing, competitive pressures have stimulated integration of many types, while the consolidation of channels and growth of markets have facilitated forward integration into this phase of activity. / Business, Sauder School of / Graduate

This study presents a multiregional model of the soft wood forest products industry in the United States, designed to describe the dynamics of interregional competition in the industry and to provide means for policy experimentation and short-term projection of regional market shares. Two products (softwood lumber and plywood), five product supply regions (including Canada), and six product demand regions are recognized. The design of the model is based on a combined top-down/bottom-up approach and consists of three interdependent components: (1) the aggregate product market, (2) regional product markets, and (3) regional factor markets. Model solutions are obtained by the simultaneous determination of national level product prices and quantities and allocation of equilibrium quantities across producing regions on the basis of their relative prices and locational advantage. The model is evaluated in an historical simulation using data for 1950-84. Graphical analysis of simulated series suggests that the model replicates short-run trends as well as cyclical movements in aggregate demand and regional market shares. The results indicate that the short-run impacts of relative prices and locational advantage on regional market shares are generally small. Price responsiveness of regional market shares for lumber appear to be considerably lower than that of plywood, indicating greater degrees of regional substitution in the plywood market. The forecasting application of the model is demonstrated by extrapolating the complete structure for two years beyond the sample period. The projected trend during this two-year period is one of increasing demand for both lumber and plywood. Domestic producers' shares of the lumber market are expected to remain relatively stable. The results show that nearly all increases in demand for lumber in this period will be satisfied by Canadian imports.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Oregon State University, 2009. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the World Wide Web.

Drying of timber increases its durability and strength. Therefore, timber should be dried to a moisture content close to the equilibrium moisture content it will attain in service. The drying of timber from its natural green state to the required moisture content is thus an important part of the production cycle. Hardwood species, due to their macroscopic structures, are more difficult to dry as compared to softwood. A great deal of research has centred in recent years on developing a fast drying process for softwood; on the other hand, there is a need for a process to dry hardwood rapidly. A new drying technique, called Continuously Varying Schedule (CVS) was recently developed by the author for the purpose of rapidly drying the medium to high density hardwood. The investigation described herein was carried out to compare the CVS process with the conventional drying process. The factors compared were drying time, quality of timber produced and the energy consumed. It was found that the CVS process reduced the drying time by 34.5% and saved 30.7% of the energy. It produced also, a competitive dried timber quality. The process achieved highly efficient drying, as the rate of drying (MC%/h x 100) was 80.3% higher than the conventional process and also, the amount of water evaporated per unit of drying time (g/h) was 67.1% higher. The CVS drying performance has achieved a 71.9% increase in the amount of moisture content reduced per unit of energy (MC%/kWh x 100) and a 57.8% increase in the amount of water evaporated per unit of energy (g/kWh) as compared to the conventional process. Much emphasis was placed on energy saving in the drying plant and it was suggested that a heat exchanger be used to recover waste energy from the exhausted air of the kiln. A dehumidifier coupled to a solar-powered system, backed up with an electric or wood waste booster, was recommended as a low-cost energy drying plant. An alternative source to the petroleum-based energy was also discussed. The study of air flow through the timber stack in the kiln was a major part of this investigation as it is one of the principal features of the CVS process. A new technique was developed to measure the air velocity and the turbulence level %. The technique involves the integration of a hot wire anemometer, data logger, computer and computer peripherals. The air velocity profiles for twelve fan speeds, between 400 and 2200 rpm, were drawn by a computer graphical program, using data collected by the above circuit. It was obvious that the boundary layer which exists around the timber surface at the low air velocity protects the timber being processed against the high and continuously increasing temperature during the CVS drying process.

Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 2010. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 89-96). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (M.A.)--West Virginia University, 2003. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains vi, 18 p. : ill. (some col.), col. map. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 18).

No description available.

Typescript. / Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1983. / Bibliography: leaves 225-234. / Microfiche. / xi, 234 leaves, bound ill. 29 cm

Drying of timber increases its durability and strength. Therefore, timber should be dried to a moisture content close to the equilibrium moisture content it will attain in service. The drying of timber from its natural green state to the required moisture content is thus an important part of the production cycle. Hardwood species, due to their macroscopic structures, are more difficult to dry as compared to softwood. A great deal of research has centred in recent years on developing a fast drying process for softwood; on the other hand, there is a need for a process to dry hardwood rapidly. A new drying technique, called Continuously Varying Schedule (CVS) was recently developed by the author for the purpose of rapidly drying the medium to high density hardwood. The investigation described herein was carried out to compare the CVS process with the conventional drying process. The factors compared were drying time, quality of timber produced and the energy consumed. It was found that the CVS process reduced the drying time by 34.5% and saved 30.7% of the energy. It produced also, a competitive dried timber quality. The process achieved highly efficient drying, as the rate of drying (MC%/h x 100) was 80.3% higher than the conventional process and also, the amount of water evaporated per unit of drying time (g/h) was 67.1% higher. The CVS drying performance has achieved a 71.9% increase in the amount of moisture content reduced per unit of energy (MC%/kWh x 100) and a 57.8% increase in the amount of water evaporated per unit of energy (g/kWh) as compared to the conventional process. Much emphasis was placed on energy saving in the drying plant and it was suggested that a heat exchanger be used to recover waste energy from the exhausted air of the kiln. A dehumidifier coupled to a solar-powered system, backed up with an electric or wood waste booster, was recommended as a low-cost energy drying plant. An alternative source to the petroleum-based energy was also discussed. The study of air flow through the timber stack in the kiln was a major part of this investigation as it is one of the principal features of the CVS process. A new technique was developed to measure the air velocity and the turbulence level %. The technique involves the integration of a hot wire anemometer, data logger, computer and computer peripherals. The air velocity profiles for twelve fan speeds, between 400 and 2200 rpm, were drawn by a computer graphical program, using data collected by the above circuit. It was obvious that the boundary layer which exists around the timber surface at the low air velocity protects the timber being processed against the high and continuously increasing temperature during the CVS drying process.

Thesis (M.S.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute, 1966. / Vita. Abstract. Also available via the Internet.