Spruce Budworm Killed Balsam Fir as a Raw Material for Flakeboard and Waferboard

Laboratory phenol-formaldehyde (PF) bonded waferboards (3 percent powdered PF) and flakeboards (6 percent liquid PF) were manufactured from 100 percent healthy balsam fir; 100 percent 3-month, 1-year, and 2-year-dead balsam fir; 100 percent healthy aspen; and from 50-50 percent combinations of aspen with each balsam fir raw material type except that waferboards were not made from the 3-month-dead balsam fir. Wafer size averaged 1.5 inches long by 0.03 inch thick by random width. Flakes were made by ring flaking 5/8-inch-long chips; flake thickness averaged 0.018 inch. A-1 panel types exceeded the minimum property requirements, including bonding system durability, of American National Standard ANSI A208.1-1979 for grades 2-MW and 2-MP particleboards. Statistical comparison of strength properties showed that the panels containing the balsam fir raw material types were superior to the 100 percent aspen panels in more cases than they were inferior. In other words, balsam fir, either alive or dead, has definite potential as a complete or supplemental raw material for waferboard and flakeboard. More specifically, waferboards from healthy balsam fir and balsam fir dead 1 year or less were equal to or better than 100 percent aspen wafer-board except for the following: the non-aged internal bond strengths (IBs) of the 100 percent and 50-50 healthy balsam fir waferboards and the moduli of rupture and elasticity of the 100 percent 1-year dead balsam fir waferboard after ASTM accelerated aging. Healthy balsam fir and balsam fir dead 1 year or less, either by themselves or in 50-50 combination with aspen, resulted in flakeboards with properties equal to or better than those of the 100 percent aspen flakeboard. Strength properties, notably IBs, of waferboards and flakeboards made with 2-year-dead balsam fir were sometimes lower than panels made from 100 percent aspen. Therefore, the amount of that material that could be used in combination with aspen and the other balsam fir raw material types apparently would be something less than 50 percent if the objective were to meet the IBs of the 100 percent aspen panels.

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