The Effect of Forest Practices on Quality of the Harvested Crop

Abstract

The paper reviews the effects of forest management practices on wood quality in softwoods. The forester modifies growth in a variety of ways but most commonly by spacing, either at planting or in thinning, by pruning, and by fertiliser application. His primary objective is to enhance rates of growth but he should be aware of the consequences of his actions on wood properties. Of special importance are those properties which affect technical performance and so commercial acceptance, such as knottiness, density, grain angle and incidence of compression wood, and the extent to which these are affected by silvicultural operations forms the main part of the paper. The limited information which is available is often apparent; there is a need for further work to examine the effects of vigour of growth on most properties but especially on grain inclination and compression wood development, to distinguish response more clearly in terms of types of ring structure, age, and conditions of growth, and to seek a physiological explanation for observed changes.