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Tour of a Georgia Pacific Lumber Mill

Bob visits a Georgia-Pacific lumber mill and goes on a tour with Randi Bonanni. Randi outlines the harvesting and mill processes.
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Tour of a Georgia Pacific Lumber Mill

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" Which look at -- that this 2000 important note to keep the mill operating or about a week. We're about a week yes. Now is this grown like on three farms. Yes sir what we call plantation -- there's very little virgin timber left in this part of the country so it's a renewable commodity Yasser it's planted it and then re harvest them every point 530 years. So it takes point about thirty years to grow old these links which are maybe forty feet yes or forty feet or longer. And probably anywhere from eight to ten inches in diameter. Fabulous now what's this is the first step in turning it into dimensional lumber taking it from the log deck here to the sawmill where we go through that -- barker that he barker. Margaret -- after the."

" It's made by half a human operator yeah we will try to minimize the amount of weight. You got maybe four people logged into. Why exactly that's -- Bob OK."

" Bob there's grief. --"

" Peel the bark off along. Their flat carbide blade to grab a log in -- All -- It goes under the pulp mill from. And many -- here."

" Some plants and their -- going to -- you."

" After coming from the -- barker being sort of balance the metal detector and it's on the actual."

" Hunter put up here stands at."

" In the probably. You've actually sort of."

" Side by side."

" At that and -- out there. Now that is the first place where. The log actually encountered a blade but what you -- rent or anything there potatoes of the -- The loggers coming through the computers certainly what's going to get cut out of a lot of Peter's been. Into the kittens off of this whole family here -- the law correct it is chipping away ideologues and then -- the -- right in the soft inside -- the lock. And it's going to leave you with what we call. And yet we thankfully squared off -- lot unflappable. Exactly and where to the good -- From there it goes through the game. Computer does. -- That makes several calculations. There's that it can maximize what comes out of every individual -- based on you know and possibly market conditions. How to market conditions affect what you're deciding to cut here now -- the computer helps us to determine what to cut. Market conditions tell us what consumers me. So therefore we program in what market conditions are. Shapiro thank that in consideration and help us produce little ring and the optimum. Money for this particular -- OK so computers actually control it can't tell exactly."

" Out of the game or coming blade yeah. What happens is you have your -- or six inch -- can't get better fit into the -- all right it's a series of circular blade depth that they and take that -- And slicing and we look forward to. -- and Cuba fixes -- and so on and so -- here you go. You're getting robbed that lumber coming out the other end exactly you have a slab that was in one side. Cuba -- about now. What's happening here -- is sorting operation that goes on when it comes out of the -- that goes across the change where it goes into the sort of be sorted by dimension. And Mary goes under the dryer you know. Okay."

" So once it's all been rough cut yes that space that like this so that you can drive right writing comes from disorder Bob. And this is what we refer to as our rough green lumber. "

" And it's readied for drying. It goes into the -- home where it stays that even temperature 350 degrees for about eighteen hours now."

" When it comes out we refer to as a rough drive him Tory candidates stack thin set aside for about two weeks before going into the player. Now courses the secret of good construction lumber is. To keep it nice and dry what's the percentage when it leaves the operation and we drive down to 90% or less you're moisture content in the you're single biggest problem. Yet. Now I've also heard that you have a terrific thank you record here at this plant exactly this plant is is better than five times the national average they receive the the VIPs Award last year. And this is all recognizable in the fact that you have to wear the -- the end of the goggles a hard head of the special shoes let's -- take a look at that -- progress."

" All right Andy -- that comes out of that bill what happens next. Effort comes out of the -- what we call rough problem for Bob. It goes from the killed. Through the -- goes across the chains as it's being sprayed -- light mist of water to control the dust OK but there's fit into the actual point here. And surface -- side of their term historical. -- this war. -- working at a that would actually there's four kids -- with knives on each individual is surfacing when Ronald Forsyth. OK and then what's happening over here at this station where they can go to work OK the lumber is now coming out of the pointer and going across what we call the -- table. Where each raiders given just a few seconds to look at each individual piece that you have to greater there so they're looking at every other board that these men are really the quality control of the operate exactly they can make or break -- sawmill. And what are the different grades that their -- it. These particular graders are dealing with five different grades today. Then select structural being the highest grade or trust lumber yes. Number one comment and number two common being your framing lumber or over the goes on the three years -- and number 3COM and utility when -- industrial goods on the -- me. Yeah after it leaves the great table yeah CB scanner reads the greater mark. And it broke with the appropriate stance on each individual sport. And then go across the timing chain which dropped in the individual billions by dimensions and by grade but they're drop. It goes for the -- it's been an actual finished packages and a ready market ready to go on the market. -- if it's pretty impressive operation very streamlined and clean now. How much output do you have in board feet that Bob this particular mill about one point six million board feet week. As a company with 27 homes about 45 million board feet --"

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