Q: I have some red oak lumber that has a hazy appearance. The color just doesn't look sharp and lustrous like normal. The color is perhaps a little browner than normal too. Is this in the wood?
A: In a nutshell, this appearance is typical of lumber that is dried too slowly, especially in a predryer.
I suspect that your predryer has uneven air flow, requiring a higher-than-normal relative humidity to be used. This high RH causes slower drying and the poor color.
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