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Panhandle Forest Products, Priest River, Id., is installing a state-of-the-art CCA pressure treating plant at its Big Sky Forest Products facility in St. Regis, Mt.
The large, modern plant utilizes the most advanced technology for automated industrial wood treating of poles and posts. It will help Panhandle cope with new regulations for CCA treated timbers that go into effect in 2025.
Manufactured by Innovative Wood Technology IWT-Moldrup, Panhandle’s new plant is designed to work with hands-off operation with no contact between the plant operator and freshly treated timber. It is prepared for hold-down clamps to prevent the wood from floating during the process and to avoid lashing of the timber. The plant set-up will accommodate working with several types of incompatible preservatives, such as CA-C and boron, in the same cylinder for both roundwood and sawn timber.
The facility’s capacity will exceed 15,000 bd. ft. of roundwood per charge and is capable of handling poles up to 50 ft. in length. The main species to be treated are ponderosa pine and lodgepole pine. Using smaller trees will help thin regional forests, supporting forest health and reducing the risk of wildfires.
Based in Europe and Asia, Innovative Wood Technology IWT-Moldrup is the leading supplier of industrial wood treating plants worldwide, with more than 1,200 units sold over the past 40 years. Systems are sold in North America by AWT-American Wood Technology.
