Method for drying wood raw material (10) by means of hot gases (20) supplied to the drying process, in which VOC, apart from water, evaporate from the wood raw material into the gases. The drying process is divided and carried out in at least two sub-steps (I, II), from which process gas (22, 33) is removed separately, and the drying process is thus controlled that VOC evaporate during one of the sub-steps, and the VOC are concentrated to this sub-step. The temperature of the gas containing VOC is increased to a temperature exceeding 180° C. before VOC are oxidized catalytically at said elevated temperature, in order to reduce the discharge of VOC from the drying process.