increased pulp yield high speed low or no chemical use low wood inventories low waste production and low process cost during papermaking not to be bound by theory it is believed that the microwave process leads to steam pressure build up inside the logs this separates cell walls increasing porosity and permeability so that less energy is required during subsequent refining and also results in a stronger paper product as used herein u201c mechanical processing u201d and u201c mechanically processing u201d refer to processing methods in which mechanical electrical or thermal energy is used to break down intact wood into constituent fibers to produce wood pulp with a desired level of freeeness suitable methods include tmp rmp and ctmp tmp is a preferred method as used herein u201c biopulping u201d refers to a method used in the production of pulp that includes the use of a biological system to perform or to assist in performing the pulping of wood preferably biopulping is carried out by inoculating steamed wood chips with a species of fungi known to degrade or modify lignin preferred fungal species include the so called u201c white rot u201d fungi preferred among the white rot species are species of ceriporiopsis subvermispora hyphodontia setulos phlebia subserialis phlebia brevispora phlebia tremellosa or phanerochaete chrysosporium as used herein the terms u201c reduced energy input requirements u201d u201c improved strength properties u201d and u201c enhanced permeability u201d are relative terms that indicate a reduction improvement or enhancement respectively over a pulping method that does not include a microwave treatment including modifications of a method to accommodate a microwave step but otherwise including the same steps as the described methods suitably the method of the invention reduces the energy input requirement at least about 8 most suitably the method.