Ryan Loe, president of Shelter Forest International, headquartered in Portland, Ore., touring a Eucalyptus log deck.
TigerPLY™: An Industry Leader In Environmental Stewardship
Portland, Oregon—In 600 B.C. there was a librarian by the name of Lao Tsu, who founded the principles of Taoism known for yin-yang and the five prime elements of wood, metal, water, earth and fire that constitute the five phases of energy.
According to Taoism, every living being, including plants, animals and people, have a life force that is a balance of yin and yang that sustains life. In Taoism, wood is associated with youth, vigor, development and growth.
While Taoism puts the importance of wood into perspective, there is no arguing the importance of wood in the modern day. As one of the most important natural resources, wood is used everywhere and is key to the past, present and future. From raw timber to engineered plywood panels, wood is the core of modern building products.Wood is intrinsic to mankind’s survival.
A leadman for Shelter Forest from the Eucalyptus plantation harvest team returning to camp.
Historically, plywood has been produced from all kinds of trees—Fir, Luan, Spruce, Birch, Eucalyptus, Poplar and many more. Of these, wood from Eucalyptus and Poplar have found widespread usage around the world due to their high yields and adaptability to managed plantations.
Eucalyptus is a native to Australia but has found new homes in many countries of the world due to its adaptability and wide practical usage. Today, Brazil and China have the largest plantations of Eucalyptus in the world. When introduced to a foreign soil, Eucalyptus can adapt quickly, while bringing positive effects to the environment of the region.
Poplar trees are found everywhere and are thought to have originated in Italy. There are various species of Poplar trees found around the world including the hybrid Poplar, a combination of various Poplar species either through natural phenomenon or through laboratory research. In modern times, Poplar wood is extensively used in:
·Home furniture such as cabinets
·Painted furniture and components
·Boxes and crating
·Shelving
A Shelter Forest production technician operates a veneer scarf jointing workstation.
In modern times companies have figured out how to increase their yield of natural resources by processing wood veneer into plywood that finds use in modern day development in homes and offices. The business is a competitive one, with companies focusing on creating the ultimate product. Shelter Forest International’s TigerPLY™ is one brand that has found success in engineering plantation hardwood into high performance plywood. A top selling brand that has found its way into many American homes and businesses.
Following in the footprints of Lao Tsu, the team at Shelter Forest strives to maintain a natural balance and environmental stewardship in the design and engineering of products and supply chains for TigerPLY™.
Shelter Forest International located in Portland, Ore., continues to develop and improve this highly engineered product line based on the demands of today’s highly competitive building materials market. With the rising requirements in high performance plywoods, Shelter Forest took the opportunity to devise solutions that would not only fulfill the needs of the customers but also keep the costs low while raising the industry standards in quality. TigerPLY™ hardwood plywood is a certified brand with products tested by Oregon State University and TECO, a third party testing and certification body.
It took Shelter Forest several years to develop the TigerPLY™ brand due to the challenges in engineering plantation based fiber into world class plywood by improving the quality and consistency while balancing market and production demands. TigerPLY™ has successfully engineered plywood that is primarily manufactured from Poplar veneers that come from hybrid Poplar plantations in southern and central China.
Rod Loe, vice president of global production, Shelter Forest International, inspects core composition of TigerPLY™ eCORE (Eucalyptus core plywood).
Poplar plantations in China are some of the most sustainable resources in the world, as Shelter Forest found out after looking for suitable options from around the world. The cost of manufacturing from the Chinese Poplar plantations is low as compared to other countries and the plantations are environmentally friendly with the trees being harvested on an 8-10 year rotation basis.
Shelter Forest’s most recent efforts have been in developing new cores with the use of even higher yielding Eucalyptus plantations.These new Eucalyptus plantations can sustain an incredible harvest cycle of 5-7 years.Bringing these new cores to market is a top priority of Shelter Forest’s V.P. of Global Production, Rod Loe.He has been working with top government officials at the Timber Bureau of Guangxi Zhuang on harvest plans and long term sustainability in developing new products for the TigerPLY™ brand.
The core of TigerPLY™ success has been the use and engineering of these high yield plantations paired with the beauty and durability of face veneers, such as North American Red Oak from the Lake States and White Birch from Eastern Russia.
Shelter Forest International has a primary focus on its most popular TigerPLY™ brand and has launched several products under the name, such as TigerLITE™, lightweight plywood used in aircraft and marine applications. Because of its light weight, more panels of the plywood can be transported on a single truck which provides Shelter Forest a definitive cost advantage they can pass on to their customers. Another new product from Shelter Forest is called the XTR, a hybrid combination containing MDF bands for better finish to products such as cabinets and furniture. The company also has a strong focus on the domestic hardwood products. However, TigerPLY™ remains the main priority of the company.Shelter Forest International has six hardwood plywood mills dedicated to producing the TigerPLY™ brand.
Ryan Loe, president of Shelter Forest and Zhang Fangmu, general manager, Shelter Forest International inspect TigerPLY™ 18mm B-2 Northern Red Oak Panels in preparation for packaging.
Shelter Forest International is part of the Shelter Group of companies:
The business is a competitive one, with companies focusing on creating the ultimate product. Shelter Forest International’s TigerPLY™ is one brand that has found success in engineering plantation hardwood into high performance plywood.
TigerPLY™ hardwood plywood is a certified brand with products tested by Oregon State University and TECO, a third party testing and certification body.
A Shelter Forest International logging team tackling a back leaning Eucalyptus Tree.
