New RFID Staple Tag for Rough Wood Tracks Timber

While the forestry service provides a use case for UHF RFID technology—tracking each felled tree, or each cut plank from forest to retail—there hasn't been an RFID tag that is uniquely suited for this environment, according to Andrew Frascone, Utility Composites' sales director. Rough wood doesn't lend itself well to adhesives, for instance, so UHF RFID labels could be knocked or blown off, he explains. Tags screwed into the wood can create problems for mills that use cutting equipment where metal is incompatible. They also require several minutes for installation.