FORE619-26S2 (C) Semester Two 2026

Wood Processing

15 points

Details:
Start Date: Monday, 13 July 2026
End Date: Sunday, 8 November 2026
Withdrawal Dates
Last Day to withdraw from this course:
  • Without financial penalty (full fee refund): Sunday, 26 July 2026
  • Without academic penalty (including no fee refund): Sunday, 27 September 2026

Description

This course introduces students to various wood processing industries, ranging from sawmilling over engineered wood products to pulping and biofuels. Reference will be made to the most suitable resource for individual products. Emphasis is given to fast-growing short-rotation plantation species and tropical timber.

Wood is a sustainable and environmentally material with many uses and will play an even greater role in the future circular bioeconomy.

This course looks at the processing of wood, starting with the breakdown of logs in sawmills into solid wood products and involved processes; drying and preservation. These operations are highly complex and vary greatly with the available timber resource. A large portion of the wood resource is broken down into smaller particles of various size and shape and reconstituted into products like wood panels or LVL beams. Another sector using large quantities of wood as raw material is the pulp and paper industry. The relevant processes and products are discussed, and the advantages and disadvantages for processing wood in a particular way are explained. A final point are the possibilities of recycling wood and using wood as an energy source introducing the different technologies for converting the solid fuelwood into liquid or gaseous fuels.

Learning Outcomes

The student will:

1. Identify the various products manufactured from wood.
2. Compare wood properties to the wood quality required by the wood processing industry.
3. Describe the manufacturing processes and structure of the wood processing industry.
4. Explain the role of wood in the transition to a sustainable bioeconomy.
5. Analyse and contrast wood processing operations.
6. Evaluate advanced scientific and technical topics and explain them in seminar and written formats.

University Graduate Attributes

This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attributes specified below:

Critically competent in a core academic discipline of their award

Students know and can critically evaluate and, where applicable, apply this knowledge to topics/issues within their majoring subject.

Employable, innovative and enterprising

Students will develop key skills and attributes sought by employers that can be used in a range of applications.

Globally aware

Students will comprehend the influence of global conditions on their discipline and will be competent in engaging with global and multi-cultural contexts.

Prerequisites

Subject to approval by the Head of School

Restrictions

FORE327

Timetable 2026

Students must attend one activity from each section.

Lecture A
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Tuesday 14:00 - 16:00 Jack Erskine 111
13 Jul - 26 Jul
3 Aug - 23 Aug
7 Sep - 13 Sep
21 Sep - 18 Oct
Lecture B
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Thursday 15:00 - 16:00 Rehua 002 Lectorial
13 Jul - 23 Aug
7 Sep - 18 Oct
Computer Lab A
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Monday 16:00 - 18:00 Forestry 252 Computer Lab
27 Jul - 2 Aug
14 Sep - 20 Sep
Computer Lab B
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Wednesday 14:00 - 18:00 Forestry 252 Computer Lab
13 Jul - 19 Jul
Workshop A
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Wednesday 13:00 - 17:00 Rehua 002 Lectorial
27 Jul - 2 Aug
10 Aug - 16 Aug
7 Sep - 13 Sep
21 Sep - 27 Sep
5 Oct - 11 Oct

Lecturer

Clemens Altaner

Indicative Fees

Domestic fee $1,344.00

* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.

For further information see School of Forestry .

All FORE619 Occurrences

  • FORE619-26S2 (C) Semester Two 2026