Thursday Morning
On Thursday Morning we started off the tour at the Jefferson mill of Smurfit-Stone Container Corporation in Fernandina Beach and then traveled to Whitehouse to tour the saw mill of International Paper. Afterwards, we stopped for lunch in Osceola National Forest.
Paper Mill
The
Fernandina mill of Smurfit-Stone is a kraft paper making facility. It is
involved in all phases of the papermaking process: From processing incoming logs
into wood chips and bark, making pulp from wood chips and recycled container
materials, producing kraft paper products like linerboard, and recovering
materials from the process for secondary uses.
Click here to see an outline of the pulp/paper production process.
Tour participants were treated to a tour of the outer facility by John Carr, Plant Manager. John explained how raw materials were received at the facility and then converted into raw pulp which would then be used to make paper. Some of the issues that John addressed were environmental and safety issues ranging from recycling of chemicals and water. After getting this overview of mill operations, teachers were led into the paper mill itself to witness firsthand how the papermaking process worked at Smurfit-Stone. The tour also gave teachers an idea of how technology is applied in modern mills to enable full utilization of forest resources while protecting the environment.
Saw Mill
At the Whitehouse mill of International Paper, tour participants saw all stages of how a modern mill works to efficiently produce lumber and wood chips. The mill produces 88,000,000 board feet of lumber annually; mostly 2X4, 2X6, 1X4, and 5/4 deck.
Click here to see an overview of the lumber production process.
Besides learning about how lumber is produced, teachers got a glimpse of the technology involved in the modern lumber industry. Computers are involved in every step of the production process and help the mill optimize its output in terms of value. Teachers also got a chance to see the level of investment involved in running a mill. The mill is investing $4 million in technology improvements which should up capacity to 140 million board feet per year.
The mill also helps illustrate complete utilization within the industry. Logs for the mill are purchased from forestland owned by Smurfit-Stone and Rayonier (two other tour sponsors.) Chips are sold back to Smurfit-Stone for use in wood pulp at their paper mill.
Lunch in Osceola National Forest
Osceola National Forest was the location for our lunch on Thursday. Osceola covers 200,000 acres of forested
woodlands and swamps in northern Florida. In addition to showcasing cypress,
black gum, bay and pine trees, Osceola is an example of forest management for
wildlife habitat. The US Forest Service is managing the forest to increase the
number of red-cockaded woodpecker in the area.
During lunch (sponsored by the Division of Forestry), Tommy Spencer and his staff gave teachers presentations on forest management on the national forest. After lunch we made another stop in the forest to see examples.
In the stand we visited, foresters discussed the relationship between wildlife and fire in a coastal plain pine ecosystem featuring a mixture of slash/longleaf pine. Foresters were managing for the red-cockaded woodpecker - we saw evidence of them in trees in the stand marked by ribbons.
Red-cockaded woodpecker needs frequent fire because it prefers open stands and feeds on insects that also prefer open stands. Natural fire frequency in these pine stands is every 2-4 years initiated by lightning. In their management, foresters try to mimic this natural burn frequency by using prescribed fire.
Where we were standing we could see the contrast between a stand that was
recently managed with fire. The undergrowth was sparse. Without fire,
undergrowth would build up and affect forest health.
The lack of burning was due to drought in the area over the last five years, foresters hadn't burned much due to the risks of the prescribed burn getting out of control. With the heavy rains the area had been receiving by the time we arrived, foresters were able to resume burning.
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