'i 



Canadian Pulp Woods* 



The Species Useful for Paper Manufacture and their Qualities. 



By Judson A. DsCew, Chemical Engineer. 



The classification of certain species of 

 timber as jtuljiwood, in contradistinction 

 to otlier kinds of wood, is but an arbi- 

 trary nomenclature based upon the com- 

 mercial application of these particular 

 woods in the pajjer trade. 



The I'ulp woods of North America are 

 quite distinct sjiecies from those in 

 common use in Europe, and were it not 

 for the more or less free interchanoe of 

 these products on this continent, these dis- 

 tinctions might eventually deve]o[i with 

 as. (Since the increased necessity for a 

 more economical use of available woods 

 Ihas forced investigations, resourceful work- 

 ers have evolved methods for converting 

 practically any kind of wood into good 

 pulp and ])aper. The problem resolves 

 itself into one of total cost, the cost of 

 wood and the cost of conversion being 

 variables for each species of wood used. 



Since the sjiruce woods have proven to 

 be the best adapted for the manufacture 

 of a good paper at the least cost, these 

 woods have become the standard from 

 which all others are judged, and have be- 

 come invested with such values as the 

 best raw material always brings. The use 

 of the other woods for making pulp is a 

 matter of trade knowledge rather than 

 public recognition, although the practice 

 of the future in this regard will likely 

 alter the popular viewpoint. 



There are a number of woods which 

 from their properties and use juay be eas- 

 ily classed as pulp-woods, a goodly por- 

 tion of these being inhabitants of Eastern 

 Canada, while others are found only in the 

 Far West. 



EASTERN WOODS. 

 White Spruce — Picen ciiiiftdciisis. 

 Black S]n'uce — Picra uKirinmi. 

 Balsam Fir — Ahies hnUumea. 

 Hemlock — Tsiif/a Cfniddeiisis. 

 Jack Pine — Pifiiis BaiilfiiaiKi. 

 Poplar — Popiiliis treiiiiiloidrx. 

 Balm of Gilead — Poinihi.s hiilxaiiiifrra. 

 White Birch — Brtiihi ixiimlifolid. 

 Canoe Birch — Bctiihi alhn, var. iminf- 

 r if era. 



WESTERN WOODS. 



Engelmanu (White) Spruce — Pirca En- 

 (/elmdiiiti. 



Sitka (Tideland) Spruce — Pifva .v//- 

 chen.^is. 



Western Hemlock — Tsiifia Jicieroiiln/IId. 



White (Balsam) Fir — Abies coxeoior. 



Lowland (White) Fir — Abies firdiidis. 



Amabilis (Red) Fir — Abies* diixibilis. 



Bull Pine — Piiiiis ixnulrrosd. 



In studying these woods in their rela- 

 tionship to paper making, let us first con- 

 sider those properties which make the 

 spruce wood so suitable for tliis purpose. 



Eastern Conifers. 



The white spruce, Piced aiiiddoisis, 

 wliieh is the most imjiortant tree north 

 of the 60th degree of latitude, is some- 

 what larger in size than its near relative, 

 the black sjiruce. Its wood is light, soft, 

 straight-grained and satiny. The bands 

 of summer cells ^re thin and the resin 

 passages few. The color of the heart and 

 sap is hardly distinguishable. The resin 

 C(.'ntent may vary from 0.2 to 0.4 per cent. 

 Tlie specific gravity is 0.40.51 and asli 

 O.o2. In this wood the structure of the 

 S[»ring and summer growth is more uni- 

 form than in most of the coniferous woods, 

 the fibres are long and regular, and there- 

 fore it is found to grind easily, giving a 

 pulp of light yellow color and a fibre that 

 readily forms in a sheet of paper. 



The black spruce, Pieea vuiriana, gen- 

 erally occurs with the white spruce, and 

 its wood is very similar in character and 

 structure, although the summer cells are 

 more resinous and there are fewer medul- 

 lary rays. The color of the wood is from 

 light red to white, the specific gravity is 

 0.4.584, the ash 0.27, and the resin from 

 0.3 to 0.5 jier cent. It is noticeable that 

 the black spruce is heavier than the white 

 [■.])ruce, and the yield of pulp from it is 

 therefore jiroportionately larger. 



The Balsam Fir, Abies brilsamea, is 

 found with the spruces above described 

 and is used in greater or less quantities, 

 mixed with the spruce pulp wood of com- 

 merce. The only noticeable difference in 

 its character from the above, is the fact 

 that it is lighter in weight, slightly more 

 coarse-grained and a little more resinoUs. 

 Specific gravity 0.3819, ash 0.45. When 

 ground a somewhat smaller yield is ob- 

 tained, and the i)ul]i is a little rougher in 

 its character. 



Hemlock, Tsiii/d caiKKleiisis. This wood 

 is found in greatest abundance in Canada, 

 although it occurs also in Michigan, Wis- 

 consin and in the Alleghany mountains. 

 Its wood is soft, not strong, brittle, coarse 

 and non-resinous. It shows broad sum- 

 mer bands, and the color varies from 

 light brown to white. Its specific gravity 

 is 0.4239 and ash 0.46. The Vesin content 

 is very low, being about 0.2 per cent. 

 Chiefly owing to its color and large sum- 



48 



