High-quality Wood Research Articles

Model of Raw Material Inventory Control for Pinisi Shipbuilding in Bulukumba Regency, Indonesia

The phinisi ship is an extraordinary creation of the son of Bugis-Makassar, South Sulawesi Province. The construction of this pinisi ship as local wisdom was designed and calculated for each component of the raw material carefully and thoroughly. High quality wood raw materials are the main elements in the process of making a pinisi boat to produce a quality pinisi boat. The purpose of this study was to determine the inventory control model for pinisi shipbuilding raw materials in Bontobahari District, Bulukumba Regency. This research was conducted in Bontobahari District, Bulukumba Regency, South Sulawesi Province, Indonesia. Determining the research location was carried out with the consideration that the area is the center of the pinisi shipbuilding industry. Data was collected by conducting in-depth interviews with pinisi boat entrepreneurs and panrita lopi (experts in making pinisi boats), and community leaders. The data obtained were then tabulated and analyzed using descriptive methods. The results of the study show that the entrepreneurs of the pinisi ship make quite a large supply of raw materials in bantilang (warehouses where wood raw materials are stored). The number of raw materials purchased is based on considerations, including (1) the need for a pinisi ship, according to the size of the ship ordered, (2) the price of wood raw materials on the market, and (3) the availability of wood raw materials on the market.

Estimation of the Overmature Wood Stock and the Projection of the Maximum Wood Mobilization Potential up to 2100 in Hungary

The demand for woody biomass as a key raw material of the developing circular bioeconomy is expected to increase. This has led to the need of increased timber productivity and the search for new procurement methods, new assortments, and innovative supply chains. Timber is regarded as a climate-friendly resource, which can contribute to climate change mitigation through long-term carbon storage and through the substitution of fossil products and fossil fuels. Thus, it is of high importance to assess the amount of timber that can be harvested without compromising sustainability concerns. In this paper, we examined the amount of the wood stock accumulated in overmature stands in Hungary. We define overmature stands being those stands where the actual age of the stand is over its cutting age prescribed by the forest authority. According to our results, 11.5% of the standing volume in Hungary is overmature, and the wood stock of overmature stands has increased by more than 250% in the last 40 years. The importance of the overmature forests is enormous, as they represent an unused wood stock reserve, which could be available to meet the growing demand for timber. In our study, we also conducted a simple yield table-based projection on the maximum amount of timber available for harvest in the period 2020–2100 based on the data of the national forestry database and the cutting ages prescribed by the forest authority in the forest management plans. According to our results, even without new afforestation, more timber becomes available for harvest annually in the 2020–2100 period than the level of the average harvests of the last five historic years. In the 2020–2050 period, an additional 56% of timber is projected to become available for harvest as a maximum. This means a maximum additional potential of 4059 thousand m3, even without the harvesting of the stands, which were already overmature in the starting year of the projection. In the first part of the projection period, industrial wood available for harvest is forecasted to be above the average historic level of industrial wood production. However, in the second part of the projection period, the industrial wood yield shows a decreasing tendency and even drops below the 2017–2021 average. The decreasing availability of industrial roundwood in the second part of the projection period points out the importance of innovation in the wood industry. The inclusion of drought tolerant species, which are nowadays less used for industrial purposes seems inevitable in the production of high-quality wood products.

PRIMARY WOOD PROCESSING IN KYIVAN RUS’ (based on materials from the Middle Dnipro area)

The paper deals with the initial stages of wood processing — the selection and primary processing of raw materials. Wooden artifacts used in this work include not only completed wood products but also waste (wood chips, fragments with traces of tools, shavings, etc.). The analysis of the woodworking raw material base also involves the use of natural science methods to identify the wood species that formed its basis.
 The selection of raw materials requires the selection of wood that is technically suitable for each type of product. This is primarily achieved by selecting wood species with the appropriate qualities. An oak wood is most often recorded as a building material but this applies mainly to lower logs of the fortifications and for various engineering structures. For residential buildings made of pine wood, oak foundations are not required and are not always found. In the case of using unstable deciduous species, which were destroyed by contact with the soil, strong oak foundations were more essential. Wood with the right properties for each type of product was also used to make household utensils and other products. All identified wood, except boxwood for the combs, belongs to local wood species. The question of the possibility of using other types of imported wood, especially in connection with the manufacture of Christian worship items, remains unresolved.
 The wooden artifacts under study also indicate that high quality wood without large knots, cracks and other defects was used. There may have been some primary processing of the wood in specially selected places.
 According to literary sources, logging of building timber took place mostly in winter. Indirect evidence of winter logging can be found in the presence of a large amount of bark among the tree remains in the cultural layer «with chips» which is associated with the primary processing of wood in the north-west of Kyiv Podil. Preferring winter logging is an established practice, driven by natural factors and taking into account the biological characteristics of trees. However, in some Early Rus sites logs with bark have been found, which can be linked to summer logging.
 There are reasons to believe that some products could have been manufactured at the site of primary wood processing. Processing of blanks could also have been carried out within the settled area. This is evidenced by the discovered woodworking complexes in the settlement of Khodosivka — Roslavske and on the outskirts of Chernihiv.
 The study of all wooden artifacts obtained as a result of archaeological research, including production waste, provides additional important information about the peculiarities of local woodworking.

Enhancing wood stability and fire retardancy through citric acid and phosphorylated sucrose stearate cross-linking modification

Citric acid (CA) is commonly used as a green and cost-effective crosslinker to enhance the physical and mechanical properties of fast-growing wood species. However, the flammability of CA-treated wood remains high and hinders its use in areas where fire resistance is critical. Therefore, it is essential to find a sustainable and efficient fire retardant that can be combined with CA to prepare wood with exceptional overall performances. In this study, we synthesized phosphorylated sucrose stearate (SUP) and used it to modify poplar wood together with CA, creating a cross-linking network. The resulting wood’s physical, mechanical properties, and fire resistance were evaluated while analyzing CA-SUP network’s fire-retardancy mechanism. Results have demonstrated that successful cross-linking modification was achieved through esterification, resulting in improved dimensional stability and water resistance. Furthermore, SUP has been found to homogenously disperse in the wood structure, reducing the degree of cell wall damage caused by the CA treatment, while further enhancing the water resistance and MOE of wood. Whilst the CA treatment improved the thermal stability of wood, it resulted in a dramatic release of smoke when the CA-treated wood was flamed. However, the addition of a small quantity of SUP, specifically in the CA-SUP-5% sample, was able to increase the limited oxygen index and promote quick extinguishing when flamed. Notably, compared to the CA-treated wood, the heat release rate and smoke production rate of the CA-SUP-5% sample reduced remarkably by 38.5% and 71%, respectively. The exceptional fire retardancy and smoke suppression were achieved through the synergy of CA and SUP, as they dehydrated, decarboxylated, and catalytically carbonized, promoting the release of water and CO2, thus diminishing the release of CO and generating dense char residue. Consequently, this study presents a sustainable, cost-effective, and efficient method to prepare high-quality wood.

Regional testing of triploid hybrid clones of populus tomentosa

BackgroundTriploid Populus tomentosa, a timber tree species, has been widely planted in northern China owing to its potential high yields and high wood quality. Though genetic variances in growth traits and wood properties have been reported across several planting sites, regional testing of triploid hybrid clones of P. tomentosa has not been conducted on a large scale.ResultsTen 5-year clonal trials were used to evaluate the inheritance of growth traits, to determine suitable deployment zones, and to identify optimal triploid clones at each experimental site to determine the clones that would be suitable at all sites. A total of 2,430 trees from nine triploid hybrid clones were sampled during the ten trials. The clonal and site effects and clone × site interactions were highly significant (P < 0.001) for all the studied growth and yield traits. The estimated repeatability of means for diameter at breast height (DBH) and tree height (H) was 0.83, which was slightly higher than for stem volume (SV) and estimated stand volume (ESV) (0.78). The Weixian (WX), Gaotang (GT), and Yanzhou (YZ) sites were each considered to be suitable deployment zones, and the Zhengzhou (ZZ), Taiyuan (TY), Pinggu (PG), and Xiangfen (XF) sites were found to be the optimal deployment zones. The TY and ZZ sites were the best discriminative environments, and the GT and XF sites were the best representative environments. GGE pilot analysis revealed that yield performance and stability were significantly different among all the studied triploid hybrid clones across the ten test sites. It was therefore necessary to develop a suitable triploid hybrid clone that could do well at each site. Taking into account both yield performance and stability, the triploid hybrid clone S2 was determined to be an ideal genotype.ConclusionsFor triploid hybrid clones, the WX, GT, and YZ sites represented suitable deployment zones and the ZZ, TY, PG, and XF sites represented optimal deployment zones. Yield performance and stability were significantly different among all the studied triploid hybrid clones across the ten test sites. Developing a suitable triploid hybrid clone that could do well at all sites was therefore desirable.

Improving stem quality assessment based on national forest inventory data: an approach applied to Spanish forests

Key messageThis paper proposes a methodology that could be considered as a base for a harmonized protocol for stem-quality reporting in Europe while conducting National Forest Inventories, in order to cost-efficiently obtain a visual wood quality proxy. The importance of the variables selected, the limitations identified, and some improvements to the methodology are suggested. Forest areas with better wood quality, which in turn it would be useful for breeding programs, can be easily detected.ContextThe establishment of harmonized standards or indicators that allow us to determine the quality of the wood present in a forest prior to its exploitation has long been demanded by the European forestry sector, although agreed methodologies for the evaluation of wood quality in standing trees, which is one of the sector’s most urgent requirements, have not, as yet, been implemented.AimsTo develop a protocol that visually characterizes wood quality on standing trees in a cost-effective way for the National Forest Inventory (NFI). After some improvements, it can be considered as a base for a European harmonized protocol.MethodsIn this article, we analyze the implementation, in the NFI, of a visual wood-quality assessment methodology in forests of Central Spain based on the different European standards as well as on research papers addressing this issue.ResultsThe silvicultural practices employed are of the utmost importance to obtain the best wood quality, regardless of the species. Several areas with higher wood quality were identified as well as areas most affected by specific pests in the studied region. The impact of the variables measured (e.g., branchiness, crookedness, maximum branch diameter) is discussed.ConclusionIt is feasible to estimate a proxy for wood quality on standing trees in the NFI. Furthermore, after studying the inventory data provided, several enhancements are proposed, not only to improve wood-quality estimates but also to optimize fieldwork costs. Harmonizing NFIs to assess and map European standing wood quality can be achieved.

Resilient forest-based value chains? Econometric analysis of roundwood prices in five European countries in the era of natural disturbances

Climate change poses a growing threat to European forests due to the increasing frequency and severity of storms, insect outbreaks, and other natural disturbances. Natural disturbances affect both the volume and the quality of harvested wood and increase the tendency of increased salvage loggings, reducing roundwood prices over the short-term. The increase of unexpected inflow of wood resources prompted by disturbance-induced salvage logging can undermine the stability of forest-based value chains. In addition to supply shocks, rebuilding can increase the demand for wood products in regions affected by storms. This study assesses the impact of supply and demand shocks on roundwood prices. An econometric analysis was performed focusing on five forest-rich European countries (Austria, Czechia, Germany, Finland, and Sweden), applying the theory of price transmission and using a set of candidate resilience predictors that were expected to moderate shock impacts. We used annual time series data in differenced form on salvage logging, forest products production and trade, and roundwood prices. We found that disturbances tend to increase the domestic prices of sawlogs, suggesting a shortage effect on high-quality wood. The effect is less pronounced when country-level sawlog exports are high, implying that mainly high-quality sawlogs are exported in the cases in question. For pulpwood, supply shocks tend to decrease pulpwood prices. Strategic logging management and international trade are possible resilience predictors, but their potential is limited and should not be overestimated. Since it is difficult to assess the magnitude by which the changing climate will affect the already increasing disturbance regimes, the results only allow indirect projections to be made about future and larger magnitude events.

QUALITY OF BEECH, BIRCH AND OAK WOOD FROM STANDS GROWING ON POST-AGRICULTURAL LANDS

This study assessed the quality of birch, beech, and oak for timber production on former agricultural land. All sample plots for the selected species had the same forest habitat type. All measured trees had already reached the age of felling. Thus, beech was over 120 years old, birch was over 70 years old, and oak was over 140 years old. On each plot, the same morphological features were measured for all trees: diameter at breast height, tree height, height of the first dead branch, height of the first live branch, and crown base. Based on collected data the length and percentage of the trunk suitable for industrial purposes were calculated. In general birch and beech trees from former agricultural land were higher, but had thinner trunks, when in oak reverse observation were noticed. Tree trunks from former agricultural lands have app. 7% shorter knots-free trunk section. The bigger different between forest and former agricultural land was noticed in case of the oak – 14%, then beech – 5% and birch – 1%. Considering the morphological characteristics of the trees and quality indicators, we showed that all species could be used for the afforestation of former agricultural lands to produce high-quality wood for future industrial purposes. However, it should be noticed, that in general calculated standing volume was lower on former agricultural land.

A WRKY Transcription Factor CbWRKY27 Negatively Regulates Salt Tolerance in Catalpa bungei

Catalpa bungei is an economically important tree with high-quality wood, which is highly ornamentally valuable in China. Salinity is one of the major constraints restricting the growth of the C. bungei. However, the molecular mechanism underlying the salt stress response remains unknown in C. bungei. In our previous study, a novel WRKY transcription factor gene CbWRKY27 was isolated using association mapping based on the transcriptome database of Catalpa Yuqiu1. In this study, CbWRKY27 was found to function as a transcriptional activator in the nucleus. The transcription of CbWRKY27 was inhibited under salt stress and reactive oxygen species (ROS) but was induced after abscisic acid (ABA) treatment. CbWRKY27-overexpression plants showed decreased tolerance to salt stress compared to wild type while enhancing sensitivity to ABA-regulated lateral root length. Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) studies showed that the transcript levels of the ABA biosynthesis gene (NCED3), signaling genes (ABI3 and ABI5), and responsive genes (RD29B and RD22) were greatly increased in CbWRKY27-overexpression plants under salt stress. Under salt treatment, CbWRKY27-overexpression plants disturbed ROS homeostasis by repressing antioxidant enzymes and enhancing the production of O2− and H2O2 through down-regulation of ROS-scavenging-related genes (APX, SOD, and PER57). In summary, these results indicate that CbWRKY27 negatively regulates salt tolerance in C. bungei.

Growth and drought resilience of four native tree species suitable for reforestation of Brazil’s Atlantic Forest

Abstract Deforestation of tropical forests has been a critical issue affecting climate change mitigation and biodiversity conservation. Reforestation strives to remedy this situation, yet it is futile as long as deforestation of primary forests continues. Since deforestation is partly motivated by the demand for valuable tropical wood, reforestation should focus not only on planting native tree species, but specifically on a high diversity of native tree species with high-quality wood. However, the eco-physiological information required for growing such species is limited, and their resilience to drought events is unknown. Here, we focused on four native tropical wood tree species identified as suitable for Brazil’s Atlantic Forest reforestation. Growth, carbon assimilation, water-use and xylem hydraulics were studied in seedlings of the two legume species Dalbergia nigra and Plathymenia foliolosa and the two non-legume species Cariniana legalis and Zeyheria tuberculosa. Seedlings were monitored weekly for 9 consecutive weeks, three to five weeks of which under induced drought. Growth and carbon assimilation were 25–65 per cent higher in the legume vs. non-legume species. In turn, non-legume species mostly avoided the drought by stomatal closure, producing a 50 per cent higher water-use efficiency (WUE) compared with the legume species. The average water potential at 50 per cent stomatal conductivity (Ψgs50) for legume species was −2.6 MPa, whereas for non-legume species it was −0.85 MPa. Still, each species showed a unique set of responses, indicating different growth strategies under mesic and xeric conditions. Our results indicate a divergence among legume and non-legume species, driven by a trade-off between plant productivity (carbon assimilation and growth) and plant safety (stomatal regulation and WUE). All in all, the four species of juvenile potted plants demonstrated a high capacity for recovery from drought, which supports their potential role in future reforestation under climate change.

Clonal Differentiation and Identification of Polyploids in Juglans hybrids

Abstract Juglans is a genus of ca. 20 species divided into four sections (Rhysocaryon, Cardiocaryon, Trachycaryon and Juglans) with a broad geographic distribution which is known for producing edible nuts and high-quality wood. Hybrid Juglans trees are becoming increasingly popular for forestry purposes in Europe because of their fast growth and adaptability. In this work, DNA was isolated from leaves of eighty-five individuals of Juglans species and hybrids and evaluated at eight nSSR and seven EST-SSR markers. The markers were able to differentiate all trees on an individual basis, and further, gave indications of polyploidy in some samples. Consequently, fifty-nine samples were then checked for ploidy by flow cytometry. Genetic structure of the population was evaluated with the most probable number of groups being K=3, which agrees with the four sections of the genus Juglans, where Cardiocaryon and Trachycaryon are genetically very similar and thus comprise one group. These results agree with other research using SSRs in Juglans. Flow cytometry revealed thirteen triploid individuals, where twelve are in agreement with the marker study, one was only detected by flow cytometry.

ИНДУКЦИЯ РИЗОГЕНЕЗА У ОСИНЫ ТРИПЛОИДНОЙ (POPULUS TREMULA L.) IN VITRO

Triploid aspen (Populus tremula L.) is a valuable woody species. Triploid aspen is a valuable tree species. Unlike diploid forms of aspen, it is not subject to core rot, has rapid growth and forms a large phytomass. Plantation cultivation of triploid aspen is important for enriching the gene pool of the main forestforming tree species in the Republic of Bashkortostan and obtaining high-quality wood raw materials. Valuable properties and qualities of tree species are most fully transmitted in the offspring during their vegetative cultivation, especially during microclonal reproduction. The article presents methodological aspects of rooting aspen triploid on artificial nutrient media. The methodology has been worked out and the optimal composition of the nutrient medium for rooting micro-plants of aspen triploid under in vitro conditions has been developed.

Efficient organogenesis and taxifolin production system from mature zygotic embryos and needles in larch

The deciduous conifer larch has been widely distributed around the world, which is a high-quality wood species and is also used to extract industrial raw materials and medicines. In this study, we developed an organogenesis protocol for <italic>Larix olgensis</italic> from both mature zygotic embryos and needles, and analyzed the content of taxifolin in different tissues. The highest callus induction (96.8%) from mature zygotic embryo was got in the Douglas-fir Cotyledon Revised (DCR) medium augmented with 2.0 mg/L 6-Benzylaminopurine (6-BA) and 0.2 mg/L α-Naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA), while from needles the highest callus induction (92.03%) was got in the Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium augmented with 3 mg/L 6-BA and 0.3 mg/L NAA. The best shoot regeneration capacity from zygotic embryo-derived calli (83.3%) was obtained in DCR medium augmented with 1.0 mg/L 6-BA and 0.01 mg/L NAA, and needle-derived calli were 77.3%. The shoots achieved the highest elongation (75.6%) in the DCR medium supplemented with 0.5 mg/L 6-BA, 0.05 mg/L NAA and 2g/L activated charcoal (AC). The rooting rate was 62.8% in DCR medium augmented with 3 mg/L Indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) and 100 mg/L phloroglucinol (PG). The accumulation of the taxifolin in elongation shoots and lignified elongation shoots have greatly improved along with the development process, were 28.6 µg/g, and 53 µg/g respectively. The content of the taxifolin in callus was 1.99-5.26 µg/g, adventitious shoots were 4.8µg/g, and adventitious roots were 2.86 µg/g. To date, we reported an efficient organogenesis and taxifolin production protocol in larch for the first time.

Growth Rhythm Analysis of Young Stand and Selection of Superior Families in Choerospondias axillaris

As an important source of medicine, food, and high-quality wood, Choerospondias axillaris has been widely planted in South China. However, few studies of its growth traits and rhythm and concerning the selection of superior provenances/families were developed. In this study, 77 families from five provenances were studied and grouped. Tree height, diameter at breast height (DBH), and crown width within and between rows were measured. The relevance between growth traits and environmental factors was also analyzed. The results showed the height, DBH, and crown width within and between rows were divided into slow, mean, and fast growth periods, which was significantly related with sunshine hours in earlier months. Next, monthly rainfall showed an extremely positive correlation with the increase in tree height, DBH, and plant volume. Then, the monthly volume increment had a significantly positive correlation with five meteorological factors, excluding sunshine hours with increasing months, while the monthly growth of tree height and crown width within and between rows was significantly negatively correlated with sunshine hours. Based on these results, the superior families No. 15, 76, and 56, which originated from the Raoping provenance, were selected for their fast growth and available adaptation. These results provided the reliable growth rhythm of a young C. axillaris stand, which established a basis for fertilizing and forest tending. During these processes, meteorological factors, especially humidity and sunshine duration, had important effects on growth, implying that the external climate should be paid more attention to promote fast growth and prevent diseases and insect pests. Moreover, selecting superior families was helpful to further breeding and plantation.

Domestication and selection footprints in Persian walnuts (Juglans regia).

Walnut (Juglans) species are economically important hardwood trees cultivated worldwide for both edible nuts and high-quality wood. Broad-scale assessments of species diversity, evolutionary history, and domestication are needed to improve walnut breeding. In this study, we sequenced 309 walnut accessions from around the world, including 55 Juglans relatives, 98 wild Persian walnuts (J. regia), 70 J. regia landraces, and 86 J. regia cultivars. The phylogenetic tree indicated that J. regia samples (section Dioscaryon) were monophyletic within Juglans. The core areas of genetic diversity of J. regia germplasm were southwestern China and southern Asia near the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the Himalayas, and the uplift of the Himalayas was speculated to be the main factor leading to the current population dynamics of Persian walnut. The pattern of genomic variation in terms of nucleotide diversity, linkage disequilibrium, single nucleotide polymorphisms, and insertions/deletions revealed the domestication and selection footprints in Persian walnut. Selective sweep analysis, GWAS, and expression analysis further identified two transcription factors, JrbHLH and JrMYB6, that influence the thickness of the nut diaphragm as loci under selection during domestication. Our results elucidate the domestication and selection footprints in Persian walnuts and provide a valuable resource for the genomics-assisted breeding of this important crop.

Colour sorting of red oak, yellow poplar and maple veneers using self-organizing map: comparisons between different camera genres

Colour sorting is a vital process in manufacturing of high-quality wood products. It is however a manual process in a large majority of manufacturing facilities in Malaysia. Automation is an ideal solution; however, costs are prohibitive for small and medium industries (SMI). This project aims to produce a flexible solution that can cater for manufacturers of different scales. Three cameras of different price ranges were used: (i) Hikrobot® MV-CE200-10UC (CE200), (ii) Logitech® C920 HD Pro (C920), and (iii) Sony® RX0 II (RX0 II). After setting up a veneer imaging prototype, human sorted images of American red oak (Quercus rubra), yellow poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera), and maple (Acer spp.) were acquired. After performing image preparations and calibrations, 26 features were extracted from each image. The features were based on the average and standard deviation of the wood basal colour and wood grain colour. Salient features were obtained using Sequential Forward Selection (SFS), which were then used to train a Self-Organizing Map (SOM). The results affirmed that the colour of the basal colour is highly correlated with human sorted colour groups. As expected, CE200 performed the best being of industrial grade. Interestingly, C920 exhibited comparable performance to CE200. RX0 II performed the worst due to its interface software limitations. This proposed system achieved accuracies of 89.0% for red oak, 94.3% for poplar and 96.4% for maple. This research will assist the SMI to develop affordable vision systems for colour sorting.

STUDY OF EFFICIENCY OF CP-DNA GENE, IRAP, AND REMAP MARKERS FOR STUDY OF GENETIC DIVERSITY OF SOME IRANIAN WALNUT POPULATIONS

The Persian walnut, also known Juglans regia of the genus Juglans is cultivated throughout the temperate regions of the world for its high-quality wood and edible nuts. Genetic diversity, structure and differentiation of cultivated walnut are important for effective conservation, management, and utilisation of germplasm. Recent study on genetic diversity and genotype differentiation in Persian walnut of Iran, revealed that these genotypes can be differentiated by ITS and ISSR, however, these markers show a low degree of genetic variability. ITS sequences revealed a lower degree of genetic difference of the studied Persian walnut genotypes compared to that of ISSR molecular markers. Therefore, it is important to investigate these genotypes by the other molecular markers to find out which one can produce more data on genetic structure and variability in these important genotypes. For the same reason, we continued this study by using cp-DNA (psbA-trnhG) gene, IRAP, and REMAP. To provide barcode for Iranian genotypes of Juglans regia is an other objective of this study. For IRAP and REMAP analyses studies, we randomly selected 60 plants from 6 populations including 3 wild and 3 cultivated populations. For cp- DNA analysis we used 21 plants of Juglans regia randomly selected from 6 studied populations. The present study revealed a high level of genetic variability in Juglans regia genotypes in those sequences investigated by IRAP and REMAP molecular markers. We reported that IRAP and REMAP molecular markers cannot be efficiently used in walnut germplasm genetic screening.

Effect of Citric Acid and Benzophenone Tetracarboxyclic Acid Treatments on Stability, Durability, and Surface Characteristic of Short Rotation Teak

Short rotation teak (SRT) has a diameter of around 30 cm at the age of 15 years; however, the wood still has low quality, especially in dimensional stability and biological durability. The objective of this study was to improve dimensional stability and biological durability of SRT through modification treatment using non-biocide chemicals, citric acid (CA) and benzophenone tetracarboxylic acid (BPTCA). SRT sapwood was impregnated by 20% and 40% of CA or BPTCA followed by heating in the oven at 150 °C for 2 h. Dimensional stability, strength, surface characteristics and durability against termite attacks of the modified woods were evaluated. Results show that dimensional stability as anti-swelling efficiency (ASE) increased by an average of 46% (CA) and 50% (BPTCA) after treatments. Durability against termites showed that the modified woods were categorized to be class 1 (very durable). Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) and X-ray Diffraction observations indicated a possible chemical reaction between the wood components with CA and BPTCA. The water-based acrylic and oil-based alkyd contact angle values of the modified woods were lower than 90°, indicating their high wetting ability against the varnish liquids. The treatment can be applied to improve the quality of SRT for high-quality wood product utilization.

Seeing past the green: Structure, composition, and biomass differences in high graded and silviculture-managed forests of similar stand density

Forests of the eastern United States (US) mostly comprise a mix of stands managed following silvicultural principles and stands managed with exploitative timber harvesting practices. These stands can have similar stand densities (e.g., basal area per hectare) but vary vastly in structure, composition, and biomass and carbon storage. High grading, a prevalent exploitative timber harvesting practice in the eastern US, is of particular concern because it can negatively affect future forest health and productivity. This study quantifies differences in forest structure, composition, and biomass and carbon storage between high graded stands and stands that received a seed/establishment cut of a uniform shelterwood regeneration sequence treatment, which is a comparable and well-established silvicultural method used to regenerate mixed-oak forests. It focuses on mixed-oak forests (mixed-Quercus), where the effects of high grading have been understudied, and uses a sample with broader spatial coverage than previous studies. The sample comprised nine stands that were known to have been high graded 8–15 years ago and nine stands that received the seed/establishment cut of a uniform shelterwood regeneration sequence. Stand were systematically sampled using fixed-area plots. Field measurements were collected and used to calculate metrics describing forest structure and function. The structure of high graded stands was characterized by a higher proportion of trees with poor health and/or form compared to shelterwood stands, with 18.3 % less acceptable growing stock and trees with lower crown compaction. Diameter distributions of high graded stands were characterized by numerous small trees and few large-diameter trees. Spatial variability of overstory trees was contingent on the tree size range evaluated, with a larger variability of sawtimber-sized trees (trees ≥ 29.2 cm in diameter at breast height) in high graded stands. High graded stands also had 2.2 times fewer oak trees (Quercus spp.) in the overstory canopy, 17,897 fewer seedlings per hectare (ha), and 45 Mg/ha less biomass than shelterwood stands. These results indicate that high grading generally degrades mixed-oak forests and impairs their long-term capacity to supply vital ecosystem services such as habitat for specific wildlife species, carbon storage, and high-quality wood products.

Интродукция климатипов лиственницы европейской в зоне смешанных лесов

The range of European larch (Larix decidua Mill.) covers Central Europe, while in Podmoskovie this species grows out of its natural distribution area. In plantings this species is known for its fast growth, stability, good soil and water protection properties, and high wood quality. All larch species in the Moscow region have a positive reputation in terms of high adaptability, they are often more productive than the local coniferous forest-forming species. Similar results were obtained by foresters in Central and Eastern Europe. The increment in stock in a number of Polish larch populations at the age of 50–60 years can reach 10–15 m3/ha per year, that is why this wood species is widely used in silvicultural practice in these countries. The research aims at studying the growth and productivity of European larch climatypes outside its natural habitat. The research covered experimental sites of European larch introduction located in the territory of the center of the Russian Plain within the Moscow region. Of all the European larch climatypes, the Polish larch has the highest growth rates in height and diameter, as well as in the accumulation of trunk stock. It forms stands with very large trunks and has an increased value of soil-light basic increment in diameter of the trunks. The Polish larch is superior to the European larch of Sudeten origin in terms of silvicultural effect. As a result, Polish larch has undeniable advantages among all the reviewed provenances in terms of growth rate and accumulation of trunk wood reserves, which is a strong argument in the issue of its expanded introduction as a promising conifer for target reforestation. European larch from Scotland has the worst growth and productivity. On the whole, all climatypes of European larch successfully adapt to the conditions of the center of the Russian Plain and are superior to all local coniferous forest-forming species in terms of inventory characteristics.