Teagasc recently hosted a webinar exploring wood fibre use in growing media. Dr Brian Jackson, Associate Professor and Director of the Horticultural Substrates Laboratory at North Carolina State University is an expert in the area. He is familiar with our sector, having visited Irish and European growing media facilities on a number of occasions. Dr Jackson discussed the different wood fibre processing systems and the characteristics of the fibre produced. Conifers produce more useful wood fibre than broadleaf trees as there is better chemistry and stability. The species of conifer is of less importance than the processing method. To meet domestic consumer expectations some media producers are dying their wood fibre from blonde to black. Issues of uniformity, shrinkage, slumping and water retention are well established and Dr Jackson highlighted some of the methods used to overcome these challenges. Wood fibre in Ireland is produced from small roundwood and wood residue. Combined with post consumer recovered wood (PCRW) and tree tips from harvesting, these are also used for wood energy. COFORD has estimated the output of wood fibre available for production in2021 to be 2.2 million m3, rising to 3.9 million m3 by 2031. The webinar is available to watch on the Teagasc YouTube channel. Dr Brian Jackson discussed the fundamentals of wood fibre production and its use in growing media.
