Freshly cut or sawn wood can attract various kinds of pests, and if wood which is infected with pests is exported, that can cause serious harm to the national economies of the recipient countries. The point to thermal processing is to destroy the pests which may be present in the wood and to prevent their spread through wooden packaging materials.

There are several effective methods for the destruction of pests, including a phase in the drying cycle which involves a higher temperature. The wood can also be treated with chemicals at a heightened temperature.

Heat treatment is the most commonly used method. The wood is heated to a temperature of 56 degrees Celsius and kept at that temperature for half an hour.
That is the cheapest and most effective way to get rid of pests. The process can be handled separately, or included as a part of the drying cycle for wood.