Kiln dried wood is not thermally modified wood. It is simply dried in a kiln to a certain moisture content to help it perform better for its final usage. Kiln drying doesn’t change the cellular structure of the wood as does thermal modification, just the moisture content.

Thermal modification is a scientific process that changes the characteristics, chemistry, structure and performance of wood at the cellular level. Thermally modified woods are super-heated, at much higher temperatures than kiln-dried woods, in a highly controlled manner.