The manufacture of wooden tree guards includes three main stages that determine the quality of the future product. These key stages must be developed carefully in order to optimise the lifespan of the wooden posts.
The manufacture of wooden tree guards includes three main stages that determine the quality of the future product. These key stages must be developed carefully in order to optimise the lifespan of the wooden posts.
1. A very meticulous selection
The choice of wood determines the quality of the future tree guard. Spruce is especially good for posts and tree guards. Situated at the heart of the Ardennes, the factory Peter Müller sources local wood, which avoids the long transportation from Eastern Europe.
Once in the factory, the wood is sorted following different criteria. First it is necessary to eliminate logs with irregular diameter or length and the logs that are not straight.
At Peter Müller we use an automated sorting system. It offers two main advantages:
- We apply a precise sorting of wood according to diameter and length
- We start production uniquely with logs that correspond to all our criteria and quality standards.
2. Artificial drying: effective in all seasons
The process of drying is a key stage in the production of the tree post. When the wood arrives at the factory, its cells are engorged with water. The water disappears during the drying, which allows the treatment liquid to penetrate. It is therefore the quality of the drying process that determines the quality of impregnation.
The artificial drying technique, as applied at Peter Müller, offers multiple advantages. First of all, the drying time is greatly reduced: only a week is necessary, instead of several months in the open air. This allows therefore for increased reactivity and greater flexibility of our deliveries.
The artificial drying allows us as well to guarantee the quality of the wood poles throughout the year, because that way the factory becomes independent of the weather conditions.
3. Wood impregnation
Pressure treatment: After positioning the tree guards in an autoclave, we create a vacuum that allows for the pores of the wood to open. The treatment product is injected under pressure and penetrates deeply into the wood. At the end we leave the wood to dry.
This procedure allows 2 types of impregnation:
- Salt impregnation along the post’s full length: This protects against fungi, wet rot and insects. It is the perfect solvent for individual clients and for areas where people come often in contact with the posts.
- Colour impregnation along the post’s full length: This impregnation offers the same protection as a classic salt impregnation. The difference is in the strength of colour of the finished product. Thanks to the colour pigmentations added to the treatment salts, the wood posts become brown instead of olive green.
DURAPost Tree guards for arboriculture: Peter Müller controls the production from A to Z
For more than 40 years, Peter Müller serves many clients from the sectors of fruit growing and agriculture in general. The factory has built its reputation thanks to the high quality of its products. It controls de facto the full manufacturing process – from the selection of wood to its impregnation under pressure and/or through dipping, through the peeling and drying of the wood.
Always listening to its clients, Peter Müller’s contributors put all elements in place to match its needs. The factory offers a vast choice of DURAPost posts and guards. It also responds to the specific demands of its clients.