Drying process for white beech

According to periodical trend, the market of semi-finished wood products in Europe repeatedly demands dry beech with a typical natural pale colour turning to grey-white for different end uses going from furniture to interior design. One of the main problems is that nobody really knows what white beech means, and the absense of standards and methods for grading creates confusion and misunderstanding between buyers and sellers. The general opinion is to consider white beech, the sawn timber from 25 to 100 mm thick with a light and homogeneous colour within the whole cross section from the surface to the core. Those characteristics are not easy to reach, above all for large thickness timbers and during the summer. Many factors influence the colour of the dried wood but the drying process, as well as the operations before drying, such as the log storage and the sawing process are fundamental. This paper condensates the experiences and knowledge of the authors and it reviews the main rules to apply during drying in order to reach good results.