Manufacturing high strength and dimensional stable strand panels via optimizing panel manufacturing conditions

Aspen has traditionally been used as the only feedstock for OSB panel production in Canada over the past 30 years. With aspen becoming less available to most Canadian OSB mills, the OSB industry has to use alternative wood species such as white birch and sugar maple as a partial substitute for aspen in OSB production. This has a significant influence on OSB panel performance. To address this issue, a significant amount of research work has recently been performed to engineer panel structure based on the wood strength and wood density features, as well as panel manufacturing technologies. As a result, stronger and more dimensionally stable strand panels can be made from mixed wood species which are especially appreciated for flooring substrate applications. This paper has also reviewed the most recent progress in understanding the key factors affecting OSB panel performance and new technologies developed to produce high-performance OSB panels. The technical challenges in further increasing the use of birch and maple in OSB manufacturing has also been discussed.