Server: Microsoft-IIS/3.0 Date: Fri, 21 Nov 1997 00:01:18 GMT Content-Type: text/html Accept-Ranges: bytes Last-Modified: Mon, 04 Aug 1997 16:11:12 GMT Content-Length: 4914
How does a chip mill work?A chip mill converts pulpwood into chips for use in paper making. Pulpwood is wood fiber that sawmills won't purchase: tops of trees, deformed trees, thinnings and undesirable tree species. Here's how the process works: At a logging site, loggers will sort logs according to their highest and best use. Sawlogs make lumber; peeler logs make plywood; and pulpwood makes paper. A log truck driver picks up the pulpwood load and takes it to a chip mill where it is unloaded. The pulpwood enters the mill through a gravity-fed chute that leads to a drum that removes the bark. Bark, a by-product of the chipping process, is burned by nearby mills for energy or is used as beauty bark (natural mulch) for landscaping. From the debarker, the pulpwood travels to a chipper where knives cut it into chips about the size of a postage stamp. A conveyor belt carries the chips to storage or onto a railcar or chip truck. Finally, the chips are transported to a mill to be made into pulp and paper. |
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FAQs about chip mills: |
What species of trees are used to make paper? Are there sources of wood fiber other than pulpwood for making paper? Do chip mills stay in the same area for a long time? Do chip mills promote clearcutting? Do chip mills encourage landowners to convert hardwood forests to softwood? Does a chip mill use lots of water? |