Burnt Wood Debarking Techniques Many trees killed in forest fires are harvested every year. Although the outer bark is burnt, the wood inside the tree is often undamaged and can be made into pulpchips and sometimes lumber. Processing burnt wood takes special equipment and techniques. Nicholson has been involved with many successful burnt wood harvesting projects using high speed Nicholson debarkers. Generally a tandem ring version of the debarker is needed. Counter rotating arms are used to provide the ultra clean debarking needed. Feed speeds of 200 to 350 feet per minute are possible. A zero carbon content and .5% bark content can be achieved. One project processed 9 million board feet of burnt wood in 6 months! One of the most important demands of burnt wood debarking is speed! The logs must be harvested, debarked and processed immediately after the fire to avoid the severe internal cracking and splitting damage due to over-drying by the fire. You also have to move quickly to avoid rot and insect damage. Keeping the logs wet, tree length and end-sealing them if possible helps to slow down the cracking. Dust suppression and extraction are mandatory. Some types of dust can be combustible due to high resin content. Pressurized switchgear needs to be used to keep the carbon granules from causing electrical problems. Carbon granules are also very abrasive so use water curtains and regular machinery washdowns. A chip diverter to send contaminated chips directly to the hog is generally required and particle masks or respirators must be used in carbon dust areas. There are many other details that can help you successfully process burnt wood. Contact our sales staff if you would like more information on debarking burnt wood. We have been there!