KilnDrying.org: A Primary Forest Products Forum
There’s more information online today than ever before, but reliable answers are harder to find for lumber professionals because the subject is so technical. And lumber moisture is one of the most important issues in lumber manufacturing.
The Kiln Drying Forum Archive
Wagner Meters sponsored the Kiln Drying Forum at kilndrying.org to match members’ questions about wood kiln drying with expert answers. The forum is now closed, but its archive of kiln drying discussions is still available to read.
Members posted threads in wood drying topic areas, including Dry Kiln Maintenance, Stacking/Sorting Wood, Impact on Planing, Dry Kiln Control, Moisture Variability, Drying Defects, Mold & Stain Issues, Training/Events, and General Discussion.
The Forum’s Experts
Kiln drying covers a wide range of methods and processes, depending on the dimension and species of lumber being dried. That’s why Wagner Meters chose experts from a cross-section of industry and education to answer forum questions. Their bios below are from when the forum launched in 2013.
Dr. Mike Milota: Professor, Wood Science and Engineering, Oregon State University
Dr. Milota works on projects related to drying lumber and biomass. At OSU, he teaches a graduate course in wood science and an undergraduate class in manufacturing with renewable materials. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Forestry from Iowa State University and his master’s and Ph.D. from Oregon State. He has more than 25 years of forest products industry experience. He is a registered professional engineer in Oregon and coordinates OSU’s annual Lumber Drying Workshop, held in December.
Dr. Phil Mitchell: Professor, North Carolina State University
Dr. Phil Mitchell, Wood Products Extension Specialist and Associate Professor in the Forest Biomaterials Department at NC State University, has both industrial and academic drying research experience. For more than 30 years, he has championed industry education and taught industry-oriented workshops on topics such as lumber drying, lumber cut-up optimization, wood gluing, lean implementation, and CNC manufacturing processes. He holds a BS in wood science and technology from NC State and an MS and Ph.D. in forest products from Virginia Tech.
| Pierre Asselin, Ing.f.: Expert and French Forum Facilitator Pierre Asselin specializes in wood science technology and has a bachelor’s degree in applied science and forest engineering. Over the previous 10 years, he had focused on hardwood mills, wood flooring, and appearance-grade products. He has provided kiln drying consulting and training to lumber mills developing new lumber products. His work focuses on kiln drying start-up operations, on-site training of mill personnel, quality control strategies and programs, and product development for appearance and value-added products such as flooring, decking, and sideboards. His processing work, from tree to finished product, focuses on introducing less common species into high-value appearance products. Pierre has also taken part in European missions to identify and analyze the best vacuum drying technology for the Eastern Canadian lumber industry. |
Dr. Stavros Avramidis: Professor, University of British Columbia
Stavros Avramidis, Professor in the Wood Science Department of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, works on wood-water relationships and on drying wood with conventional and dielectric methods. He teaches wood physics and drying to undergraduate and graduate students. He holds MS and Ph.D. degrees from the State University of New York and has extensive experience working with national and international research, funding, and production organizations.
Timothy Duncan: Manager, Engineering and Research and Development, Wagner Meters
Tim is primarily responsible for research and development of moisture measurement systems at Wagner Meters. He earned his BA in physics from the University of California, Berkeley, and an MBA from Capella University. Tim spent seven years as a programmer/analyst with UC Berkeley’s Electronics Research Laboratory before joining Wagner in 2006. He also developed a core metrology statistical software suite for the start-up OnWafer Technologies.
Shop Industrial Wood Moisture Meters
As Sales Manager for Wagner Meters, Ron has more than 35 years of experience with instrumentation and measurement systems in different industries. In previous positions, he has served as Regional Sales Manager, Product and Projects Manager, and Sales Manager for manufacturers involved in measurement instrumentation.
Last updated on October 9th, 2026
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Hi my question is to do with drying red spruce and fir in the same kiln charge is thereally any data or methods that are proven to work to bring this lumber both species down to with accepted MCaleb range with out splitting the spruce ends
Hi Laurie,
Can you let me know your location (region/province)? I have some referrals for you but need to know which would be best for your location.
Thank you.
I have an 8′ X 24′ drying room added on to my new machine shed. Concrete floor, fully insulated, two 11′ sliding doors ready to go. Have Central Boiler outdoor wood stove ran to it for part of the heat source and will add some type of propane (?) addtl. heat source. No kiln mechanical as yet. Looked at Nile, but not sure. Can anyone recommend a source to help design an inexpensive dehumidification, mechanical, etc? Having a hard time finding an expert in this area of Western Iowa.
Can u help me with this question:
Kiln dried is lumber that has been kiln dried often to a moisture. Content of?
(A)8 to 10 percent
(B)4 to 8 percent
(C)6 to12 percent
(D)0 to 4 percent
Cass, I’m not able to provide an a, b, c, or d answer because it really depends on the type of lumber. Is it hardwood or softwood? Dry kilns usually dry hardwood lumber to a moisture content of 6% to l0%, and kiln dried lumber will gradually adjust to the humidity of its final location. For most regions of North America, hardwood lumber destined for manufacture into products such as furniture, cabinets, millwork, and others is carefully kiln dried to 6-8 percent moisture content. Softwoods are typically dried down to between 12% and 19%.
How doI join the forum?