Pulpwood. The biggest piece of the forest economy

Pulpwood has a branding problem.

It’s often treated as the “leftovers” category: too small, too knotty, too early in the rotation, or simply not suited to sawmilling. But in real-world forestry, pulpwood isn’t a side note. It’s a major fibre stream that quietly keeps the forest economy moving.

And that matters, because demand for wood fibre isn’t slowing down. The question isn’t whether pulpwood exists — it’s whether we continue using it in the narrowest way possible, or start asking a better one:

What could this resource become, if we designed for its best use, not its default one?

Pulpwood is usually destined for woodchips

What is pulpwood?

Timber is often talked about in three broad buckets: sawlogs, veneer logs, and pulpwood.

Pulpwood sits at the lower end of this hierarchy and typically includes:

• smaller-diameter logs from thinning and early rotations

• lower-grade logs not suited to high-yield sawn timber

• and, depending on the supply chain, some processing residues that feed fibre-based products

Traditionally, pulpwood means timber destined for pulp and paper, though it also underpins a wide range of fibre and composite products.

So yes — pulpwood most often becomes woodchips.
But that’s not the full story. And it doesn’t have to be the end of it.

Why pulpwood is so common (especially in Australia)

In Australia, most harvested logs come from commercial plantations. Within that, plantation hardwood is largely grown and harvested as pulplogs — one reason pulpwood plays such a significant role in the local wood-fibre picture.

This isn’t a problem to apologise for. It’s a reality to design with.

When pulpwood is treated as “low-grade by default,” its potential is locked into a narrow set of outcomes. When it’s treated as valuable fibre with options, it becomes a powerful lever for improving efficiency across the entire system.

Source: FAOSTATS

Shaping a better future for timber

Because pulpwood represents one of the largest fibre streams in the global forest economy, even small shifts in how it’s used can have outsized impact.

When more of the timber we already grow can be directed to higher-value, longer-life uses — without increasing harvest pressure — the benefits ripple through the system. Forest management becomes more efficient. Material value increases. Reliance on a narrow band of high-grade logs is reduced.

Crafted Hardwoods sits within that opportunity.

By combining advanced engineering with a sustainability-first mindset, we work with timber streams that are already abundant and responsibly managed, helping expand what they can be used for — without placing additional strain on forests.

It’s not about reinventing forestry.
It’s about making better use of what the forest economy already produces.

From Pulp to Purpose: Rethinking low-grade resources

As demand for timber continues to grow globally, pressure on high-grade logs is becoming increasingly visible across supply chains. Many industries rely on these logs for applications where alternatives are limited, creating constraints that ripple through the market.

One of the most effective ways to ease that pressure isn’t by harvesting more trees — it’s by broadening how existing timber resources are used.

Pulpwood offers a large, consistent supply of responsibly managed fibre, yet it has traditionally been channelled into a limited range of outcomes. By rethinking what this material can become, it’s possible to unlock greater value from the same forest resource.

Pulpwood doesn’t have to be the “low-grade option.”
It’s a cornerstone resource — and one of the biggest opportunities hiding in plain sight.

Where Crafted Hardwoods is different from other Engineered Wood Products

Crafted Hardwoods is an engineered wood product — but it’s engineered for a different purpose.

Many engineered wood products are designed to do one thing exceptionally well: span further, standardise strength, reduce defects, or maximise yield. They often rely on veneers, strands, particles, or fibres bonded into highly predictable formats.

We respect that. Those systems play an important role in the built environment.

But Crafted Hardwoods is engineered with a different outcome in mind: high-quality hardwood with warmth and character, made from timber streams that are commonly overlooked.

Our focus isn’t simply to turn wood into a panel. It’s to take material that is often channelled into the lowest-value pathway and transform it into durable, stable timber products suited to visible, long-life applications — while keeping a close eye on material health, including a no added formaldehyde adhesive approach.