A survey was carried out in the wood industries of Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil, where 20 furniture factories, eleven sawmills and six plywood mills were investigated, mainly to evaluate the use of wood preservatives, storage, drying and utilisation efficiency of raw material, including waste. Only four furniture factories used wood preservatives and all the plywood mills used the preservatives added to the resin-glue, thus restricting this product to the glue line. Log storage is in water and/or log yards, in which case, the logs arc piled up in direct contact with the ground. The majority of the industries do not use correct drying procedures, with artificial drying restricted to the plywood mills and two sawmills. Only two furniture factories used solar dryers. There is an enormous wastage of raw material and almost no use of residues, which arc normally used in power generation and pottery and bakery ovens.
Amazonian; wood industries; wood preservatives; dry wood; log storage; wood waste