From Trees in the Forest to Treated Wood Posts: A Look Inside Our Facility

At West Branch Wood Treating Sales, we take pride in manufacturing high-quality treated wood posts. We handle the harvesting, processing, peeling, kiln-drying, and treating in-house to guarantee our customers receive the highest quality products at wholesale pricing. But have you ever been curious as to what goes into transforming raw wood into pressure treated wood posts that are trusted by farmers, fence contractors, orchards, vineyards and more?  In this behind-the-scenes look, we’ll walk you through our process—from sourcing raw wood to delivering posts, for those who are in it for the long haul.

Step 1: Sourcing the Right Wood

Quality starts right in the forest, where we harvest the Red Pine plantation trees that are only grown only in the Northern Regions, and are known for their strength and flexible characteristics. The trees are cut to specific dimensions, ensuring each post meets our rigorous standards for uniform length, consistent diameter, and high-quality wood. 

Step 2: Precision Cutting & Grading

Once the red pine logs arrive to our post peeling facility, they are:

• Graded for quality – We inspect each post for strength, straightness, and consistency.
• Sorted by intended use with our sorter machine
• Each post is fed into the post peeler, where it is carefully peeled and shaped to create a perfect post, which is a specific diameter the entire length of the post. 
• Once each post passes inspection, they are stacked into bundles and ready for drying. 

Step 3: Drying

Before treatment, the wood posts need to be properly dried to allow for maximum preservative absorption. If a post is not properly dried, the CCA chemical preservative will not be effectively absorbed into the post, leading to potential premature rot and decay. Each post is dried to approximately 20% moisture content, ensuring the wood is durable and ready to be pressure treated. We use kiln-drying or air-drying to reduce moisture to the ideal level. 

This step ensures:

✔️ Enhanced preservative penetration
✔️ A more durable and longer-lasting post
✔️ Reduced shrinkage or warping

Step 4: Pressure Treatment Process

The wood posts are then loaded into the treating cylinder for treatment. Here’s how it works:

1. Posts are loaded into a 34 ft treatment cylinder – A large, pressurized tank designed for deep preservative absorption.
2. Vacuum opens the wood’s cells – This allows the treatment solution to penetrate deeply into the wood’s cells.
3. Chemical preservatives are injected under high pressure – We use CCA (Chromated Copper Arsenate) to protect against decay, termites, and fungal damage.
4. Posts are left to absorb the treatment in the drip pad – The treated posts are placed into the drip pad for 2-3 days to allow excess treatment to settle.

Step 5: Shipping & Distribution

Once our posts pass all inspections, they are prepared and ready for shipment. Whether heading to ranches, farms, fencing contractors, orchards, vineyards, solar projects, or more, we ensure prompt delivery, so our customers get the highest quality posts when they need them.

Why Choose West Branch Wood Treating Sales?

✔️ High-Quality – We’ve built a reputation for excellence in treated wood products.
✔️ Decades of Experience – Our expertise ensures top-tier manufacturing and industry-leading treatment, ensuring long-lasting wood posts.
✔️ Customer Commitment – We’re dedicated to supplying superior products at wholesale prices to every customer.