By Scott Lyon, Wisconsin DNR Forest Products Team Leader
The Wood Industry Teacher Camp took place at the Northcentral Technical College (NTC) Wood Technology Center of Excellence in Antigo, Wisconsin, on July 29 and 30. This two-day event immersed five tech-ed teachers in a hands-on professional development experience designed to connect K–12 educators and administrators with the forest products industry. The program highlighted the many steps and career opportunities within the wood industry, from log evaluation and lumber manufacturing to lumber drying and the production of finished wood products.
A technical education teacher operating the head-rig opening the log for further processing. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR
Participants operated commercial-scale equipment, including the state-of-the-art training sawmill. In addition to the hands-on experience, participants learned about resources they could take back to their classrooms and participated in an industry tour to gain further insight into the field.
Alex Anderson and Scott Lyon from the DNR Forest Products team provided guidance on operating the various sawmill equipment and shared information about the forest products industry. Their responsibilities included operating the various stations within the mill, covering safe machine operation, and allowing attendees to operate each station. Sawmill stations included the optimized headsaw, resaw, resaw pre-turner, optimized edger, trim saw and green chain/stacking area.
Outside of the sawmill, the teachers loaded the lumber they had just milled into a dry kiln and spent time learning about kiln operation and lumber drying. Participants also learned about the basics of log scaling, lumber grading, sawmill safety, saw sharpening and maintenance, primary and secondary forest product markets and much more.
Kiln drying course students stack basswood lumber to be dried in the steam kiln. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR
In addition, Scott Lyon, forest products team leader, assisted in teaching the Great Lakes Kiln Drying Association’s Lumber Dry Kiln Short Course at NTC during the week of Aug. 10. The group included 10 attendees from companies across the Great Lakes states and a forest products cooperative extension specialist from the University of Alaska in Fairbanks. This nationally recognized lumber drying course draws attendees from across the nation.
During the course, attendees gained a deeper understanding of the principles and practices involved in producing quality kiln-dried lumber. Topics included kiln operation, the lumber drying process, moisture control, drying schedules and factors that influence lumber quality during drying. The hands-on instruction helped participants better understand how to operate and manage a dry kiln, troubleshoot common drying challenges, and produce properly dried lumber while minimizing defects and maintaining product quality.