Wood Resources Research Articles

The Structure of Saproxylic Beetle Assemblages in View of Coarse Woody Debris Resources in Pine Stands of Western Poland

Background: Resources of dying and dead trees, decaying fragments of stems, stumps and branches, i.e., coarse woody debris (CWD), are an important structural element of biocenoses and are drivers of biodiversity. The aim of this study was to describe assemblages of saproxylic beetles in pine stands of western Poland in view of dead wood resources. We present faunistic (species identity) and quantitative (species and individual counts) data from two types of stands: 1. unmanaged pine stands, in which no trees have been extracted for over 30 years, with processes connected with tree dying and self-thinning of stands being undisturbed, 2. managed pine stands, in which routine tending operations extracting trees are performed in accordance with forest management plans and naturally dying trees are removed in the course of tending and sanitary logging; Methods: Beetles were captured in the years 2013–2014 using window flight traps. Assemblages of saproxylic beetles were assessed based on the indices of dominance, diversity (the Shannon–Weiner index), and species richness (Margalef’s index) as well as the estimated habitat fidelity index, feeding habits, and zoogeographical distribution. Similarity between the assemblages was evaluated applying cluster analysis. Dependence between dead wood resources and the diversity and species richness indices were analysed; Results: A total of 2006 individuals classified to 216 species were captured. Assemblages show considerable similarity on the local scale. Higher values of species diversity indicators were observed in unmanaged stands, in which no sanitation cuttings are performed; Conclusions: The decision to refrain from sanitation logging in pine monocultures results in increased CWD resources, which nevertheless does not lead to a marked increase in the values of biodiversity indicators. Unmanaged stands were characterised by a high share of zoophagous, mycetophagous, and saproxylic species. In contrast, managed stands were characterised by a high share of xylophagous beetles.

Investigation on the Awareness and Preference for Wood Culture to Promote the Value of Wood

일반인의 목재에 대한 인식개선은 목재이용 확대를 통한 목재문화 정착이라는 목표를 달성하기 위하여 필수적이다. 본 연구에서는 목재문화 활성화를 위한 전략마련을 위한 기초연구로 일반인의 목재문화 체험현황과 요구사항에 대하여 설문조사를 수행하였다. 조사항목은 목재문화 인식, 목재문화 이용현황, 목재문화에 대한 선호와 요구, 목재문화의 하위분야 인식, 목재문화 자원에 대한 인식, 목재이용 트렌드, 목재관련 생활환경 등 7가지로 분류하였으며, 조사결과를 목재와 문화체험에 대한 인식, 유형별 목재문화자원에 대한 인식, 생활환경과 목재이용 트렌드, 목재문화에 대한 선호와 요구의 4가지로 구분하였다. 본 연구에서는 4가지로 구분된 항목 중 일반인의 목재와 문화체험에 대한 인식을 분석하였다. 일반인은 목재와 목재문화에 대하여 재료, 문화유산, 친환경 등의 이미지를 갖고 있으나 2가지를 크게 구분하지는 않았다. 목재이용은 인간의 신체와 정신에 긍정적 영향을 미친다고 판단하고 있으나 목재의 활용이 산림을 파괴하는 것이라는 인식을 응답자의 45%가 갖고 있었다. 또한 목재와 관련된 직업은 기술자 또는 기능인이라는 인식을 갖고 있으며, 목재교육전문가와 같은 교육자로서의 인지도는 상대적으로 낮게 조사되었다. 목재문화와 관련된 주요사업에 대한 인지도는 응답자의 50%에 미치지 못하였다. 응답자의 30%가 목공체험을 포함한 목재교육에 참여한 경험이 있었으며 대부분 수공구를 이용한 경험이 있었다. 목재문화프로그램을 통해 제작하고 싶은 것은 가구류, 소품류, 건축물 등이 있었다. 목재문화체험장에 대하여 알고 있는지에 대해 응답자의 23%가 인지하고 있다고 응답하였으며 이들 중 방문경험이 있는 경우는 약 50%이었다. 목재교육 전문가에게 요구되는 역량으로는 목공기술에 대한 응답률이 73%로 제일 높게 측정되었다. 일반인의 목재에 대한 인식을 개선하기 위하여 현대인은 체험에서 교육적 요소보다 오락적 요소를 중요하게 생각한다는 점을 고려할 필요가 있다. 보다 많은 일반인에게 목재문화 체험의 기회를 제공하기 위하여 오락적 요소를 포함한 다양한 콘텐츠의 개발과 이에 대한 적극적인 홍보가 필요하다고 판단된다. Improving public awareness of wood is essential for achieving the goal of establishing wood culture by expanding the use of wood. This study presents a basic examination of the strategy of revitalizing wood culture and a survey of its current status and requirements. The survey was divided into seven categories: awareness of wood culture; use characteristics of wood culture; preference and demand for wood culture; awareness of sub-fields of wood culture; awareness of the cultural resources of wood; trends of wood utilization; and wood-related living environment. Based on the survey results, the study analyzed four items: awareness of wood and cultural experience; awareness of the cultural resources of wood; wood-related living environment and trends of wood utilization; and preference and demand for wood culture. In this study, the public awareness of wood and cultural experiences, the first of four items, was analyzed using the survey results. Generally, wood and wood culture are viewed as materials and a cultural heritage, respectively. Moreover, wood is ecofriendly. However, no substantial difference was observed between the two perceptions. Forty-five percent of the respondents reported that using wood exerts a positive effect on the body and mind. However, such use also destroys forests. Additionally, the recognition of wood-related workers, such as engineers or skilled workers, was relatively low compared with educators, such as wood education experts. Moreover, less than 50% of the respondents answered that major projects related to wood culture are well-known, whereas 30% participated in wood education, such as woodworking experience, where the majority required hand tools. Furniture, wooden accessories, and wooden buildings were among the objects that individuals intended to make through the wood culture program. Approximately 23% of the respondents were aware about the wood culture experience center, while approximately 50% had visited it. The response rate to woodworking technology was 73%, where the highest response was found for wood education experts. To improve public awareness about wood, the importance of entertainment factors over educational factors should be considered in the experience of individuals. To provide opportunities to experience wood culture for more individuals, developing and actively promoting various contents, including entertainment elements, are necessary.

Impact of Anthropogenic Activities on Woodland in Northern Syria (4th–2nd Mill. BC): Evidence from Charcoal Assemblages and Oak Measurements

ABSTRACT In this paper charcoals from the Syrian sites Tell Mozan and Tell Jerablus are investigated to understand the impact of 4th to 2nd millennium BC settlement on the vegetation. Charcoals from these sites have been identified and oak fragments have been measured for their maximal diameter and annual ring widths. Our results show that while oak had reached its maximal expansion in the Mid-Holocene, and vegetation in the Euphrates Valley was lusher than today, strong anthropogenic impact on the vegetation was occurring, probably already prior to the Late Chalcolithic period. Due to potentially enormous herds of sheep and goat, and possibly large-scale agriculture with perhaps some understory cropping, oak was growing very slowly, to the degree that it must often have had a shrub-like appearance. People did not apply systematic oak woodland management practices, such as coppicing or pollarding. They used dung as an additional fuel, probably to cover for shortages in wood resources. The land appears to have been used both intensively and extensively to a degree that was not sustainable in the long term. This, combined with aridity impact on the oak, probably led to a decrease in oak proportion at Mozan in the Middle Bronze Age.

Structural properties and hydrolysability of recycled poplar residues (Populus L.): Effects of two-step acetic acid and sodium sulphite pre-treatment

Poplar trees rapidly yield wood and are therefore suitable as a biofuel feedstock; however, the quality of poplar is modest, and the profitability of poplar cultivation depends on the efficiency of the harvesting process. This study offers a simple and sustainable technique to harvest lignocellulosic resources from poplar for bioethanol production. The proposed two-step pretreatment method increased the surface lignin content and decreased the surface polysaccharide content. The cellulose content increased to 54.9% and the xylan content decreased to 6.7% at 5% AC. The cellulose yield of poplar residues (Populus L.) reached 65.5% by this two-step acetic acid (AC) and sodium sulphite (SS) treatment method. Two-step pretreatment using 5% AC and 4% SS obtained a recovery of nearly 80% of the total available fermentable sugar. The surface characterization showed a higher porosity in treated samples, which improved their hydrolysability. This method decreased the amount of lignin in plant biomass, making it applicable for further wood resource recovery or waste recycling for biorefinery purposes at very low costs.

Extrusive technology for chemical-thermomechanical pulp from plant raw materials

In the article, the possibility of highly profitable and environmentally safe processing of low-quality wood and wood waste by low-tonnage plants using extrusion technology has been substantiated. The basics of the technology for the production of extrusive thermomechanical wood pulp (ETMP) with the use of chemicals are given, and the main specific costs of wood, chemicals and energy resources are provided. The limits of the main quality indicators of ETMP are provided, which are important for its widespread use in the production of paper and cardboard. The extrusive technology for processing of raw materials into fiber is economically viable. The target product is obtained from wood with a yield of 85–80%, and from straw, of 75–60% of the mass of raw materials; profitability is in the range of 25–50%; production creation time is 1.0–2.5 years, depending on productivity (20, 50, 100 and 200 tons per day), and the return on investment is 2-3 years. The advantages of technological lines for processing wood and straw are compactness, ease of installation, and relatively small production areas. The extrusion technology is promising for the processing of waste from forestry enterprises, and is recommended for use in Russia.

Structure, survival, and species diversity in a tropical dry forest submitted to coppicing

The Caatinga is a tropical dry forest. Rational exploitation of Caatinga wood resources consists of sustainable forest management under coppice systems. Therefore, the recovery of the timber stock for the next cycle will depend on the regrowth and survival capacity of the exploited species, as well as on the future structure of the forest. The objective of this work was to characterize the survival, structure, and diversity of Caatinga submitted to coppicing under sustainable forest management comparing pre- and post-harvest conditions. Permanent plots were installed in a Caatinga in the municipality of Floresta-PE, Brazil, in 2013, and measured 2 years after clearcutting. Height and circumference at the base (CAB) of the stumps and shoots were obtained for two situations: pre-cut (grouping by live and dead stumps) and (ii) post-cut (shoots on only live stumps). In addition, all individual shrub-tree species (CAB ≥ 4 cm) not included in the post-cut situation were identified, measured (CAB and height total) and tagged as persisting (6 cm ≤ CAB) or growing (6 < CAB ≤ 4 cm) in 2015. The survival and mortality of the stumps were quantified, as well as changes in the horizontal structure and floristic diversity. There was a decrease in the number of species 2 years after cutting, mainly due to the loss of Croton rhamnifolius H. B. K. and Sapium glandulatum (Vell.) Pax and predominance of Cenostigma bracteosum (Tul.) E. Gagnon & G. P. Lewis, Aspidosperma pyrifolium Mart., and Cnidoscolus quercifolius Pohl., resulting in a greater number of individuals of a few species. The outstanding regrowth capacity of these three species indicates that the forest remnant under study may eventually consist of populations with a predominance of species capable of coppicing.

Automated Forest Inventory and Integrated Digitalization of Wood Resources

The article is devoted to solution of the issue of automated forest inventory and digitalization of wood resources by means of technical tools of distance probing of the Earth, methods of analytical decoding of forest canopy indicators and application of information-reference systems of forest taxation normative standards related to complex estimation of wood resources.

Mathematical methods for substantiating transport routes for the movement of natural resources through the forest area

The use of modern mathematical tools is an integral part of the development of business and society. Their application allows planning the activities of various institutions and forecasting the development of many complex processes. In particular, such tools are used to substantiate routes for the movement of natural resources. The article shows that the use of graphic-analytical methods can be one of the most optimal solutions in this direction. The graphic-analytical model (simplified) and mathematical models are presented. The paper presents the results of a study of individual features of the use of the mathematical substantiation of the routes of industrial enterprises when moving natural resources (including wood resources delivered from the forest area).

La filiera corta del legno: un’opportunità per la bio-economia forestale in Italia

The motivations for the National Research Project on the Short Wood Supply Chain stem from the recognition of the great importance of the wood-based bio-economy for the future carbon-free society. In addition to the essential ecological benefits provided by forests, natural wood resources are expected to play a significant role due to the increasing wood demand for structural and non-structural uses. However, in Italy most industrial wood products are made from imported timber, which results in poor attention to local forestry, loss of traditional silvicultural know-how and reduced forest employment in most mountain areas. The project specifically aims: (i) to assess the feasability and sustainability of wood short supply chains; (ii) to promote new models of environmental certification and energy efficiency analysis; (iii) to create innovative products for bio-building (CrossLam, laminated timber, wood panels) using wood assortments from sustainable forest management in Italy; (iv) to characterise the functionality of wood products (with attention paid to architectural issues), predict wood degradation rate and assess conservation methods. Attention is specifically devoted to most common forest species in Italy, such as beech, pines, chestnut, deciduous oaks and poplar and to test thermal and surface treatments with natural substances and nano-materials.

Супервизорное управление исполнительными механизмами машин лесозаготовок и лесного хозяйства

The article presents structural diagrams of an automated control system for technological processes and information flows of logging operations. The article includes subject and research methodology. The study in a field of logging operations confirms the fact of increasing rate of using special forest machinery like forest harvesters for conducting timber-logging operations. One of the main advantages of forest harvesters is the automated functions that allow the control system to optimize the cutting of the tree trunk, taking into account the price of the assortment and its optimal parameters. The majority of forest harvesters in service are equipped with a continuous pull-through harvesting head. It is shown that reducing production and resource losses, preserving the natural environment and adequate measures for the reproduction of wood resources becomes possible due to the transfer of management of forestry processes to a qualitatively new level through the use of modern automated control systems for technological processes and information flows (APCS IP). The development of a software decision support system (DSS) was conducted according to the results of the data process analysis. The automated decision support system provides support for operator activities and a model for making a decision on the appointment and execution of timber-logging operations.

Tuning morphology and structure of non-woody nanocellulose: Ranging between nanofibers and nanocrystals

Due to the increasing interest on lignocellulosic nanomaterials, alternative raw materials to wood sources have been explored. In this sense, annual plants can represent an important source of lignocellulose which may be used for cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) production. The present work aims at highlighting the virtues of three different non-woody resources (jute, sisal and hemp) as raw material for the production of TEMPO-mediated oxidized CNFs. The fibrillation stage was carried out by means of high-pressure homogenization (HPH), sequencing the process to obtain the initial, intermediate and final characteristics. Interestingly, it was found that while wood-based TEMPO-mediated oxidized CNFs lead highly fibrillated structures and thick gels, the obtained CNFs in this work exhibited a structure similar to cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), particularly at high oxidation degrees, as rod-like morphologies were observed. Nonetheless, differences were observed between the selected raw materials, which was attributed to the differences on their relative recalcitrance. In addition, the rheological evaluation indicated that hemp CNFs tended to a Newtonian behavior, as flow behavior index tended to 1, leading to suspensions radically different to those obtained from wood sources. Further, the rheological behavior of the obtained nanocellulose suspensions has been found to correlate with the 2D fractal dimension of the nanostructured cellulose. Overall, the present work shows the feasibility of using non-woody plants as raw material for nanostructured cellulose production, with interesting characteristics unconceivable with wood resources.

Utilizing natural grids structure of thin wood slices as alternative products to commercial TEM grids

Wood as renewable and earth-abundant biomass material, has attracted much research interest revolving around the utilization of its natural pore structure recently. The highly ordered microtexture of wood has been used to design multitudinous functional products which offer good potential for high value utilization of wood resource. Here, a novel application has been developed by using thin wood slice with transparent grid structure to fabricate TEM grids, which could entirely replace commercially products in TEM observation and even widen their application condition. Wood slice with simple inclusions removal process was used as holey grids directly, and a facile method was employed to uniformly cover graphene oxide/polyvinyl formal films on wood slice skeleton as holeless TEM grids. It has been proved that both the fabricated holey and holeless TEM grids are successfully applied to clearly observing the morphology and structure of nano-materials from zero dimension, one dimension to two dimensions. Meanwhile, it demonstrates wooden TEM grids are feasible in strong corrosive sample preparation condition, while commonly used TEM grids are impracticable. The designed TEM grids substitute material has the obvious superiorities in preparation process, low cost, corrosion resistance, hydrophilicity, environment and biocompatibility. The utilization of thin wood slice for TEM grids products also expanded the application field of wood and is very promising to be commercial products.

Acoustic Properties of Larch Bark Panels

The potential of tree bark, a by-product of the woodworking industry, has been studied for more than seven decades. Bark, as a sustainable raw material, can replace wood or other resources in numerous applications in construction. In this study, the acoustic properties of bark-based panels were analyzed. The roles of the particle size (4–11 mm and 10–30 mm), particle orientation (parallel and perpendicular) and density (350–700 kg/m3) of samples with 30 mm and 60 mm thicknesses were studied at frequencies ranging from 50 to 6400 Hz. Bark-based boards with fine-grained particles have been shown to be better in terms of sound absorption coefficient values compared with coarse-grained particles. Bark composites mixed with popcorn bonded with UF did not return the expected results, and it is not possible to recommend this solution. The best density of bark boards to obtain the best sound absorption coefficients is about 350 kg/m3. These lightweight panels achieved better sound-absorbing properties (especially at lower frequencies) at higher thicknesses. The noise reduction coefficient of 0.5 obtained a sample with fine particles with a parallel orientation and a density of around 360 kg/m3.

An overview of three decades of dendrochronology applied to ancient Mediterranean shipwrecks in southeastern France

Three decades of dendrochronology applied to ancient Mediterranean shipwrecks in southeastern France have resulted in a considerable improvement in knowledge about the wood resources used in ancient shipbuilding. However, in terms of dating, the success rate of dendrochronological analyses is still very low. The possible causes of this low rate are discussed through two case studies: the first pertaining to the shipwrecks from the ancient harbour of Toulon (1st-3rd centuries AD); the second to a couple of fluvial barges discovered in the Rhône River (mid 1st-beginning of the 2nd centuries AD).

Nitrate-Alkaline Pulp from Non-Wood Plants.

Because there is a lack of wood resources in many countries, this work focused on pulp and paper production from the waste and agricultural residues of non-wood plants. The work aimed to pulp the nitrate-alkaline of black mustard (Brassica Nigra L.) and camelina (Camelina Sativa L.). The black mustard and the camelina were selected due to the expanding planted areas of these crops in the Czech Republic. To characterize the chemical composition of black mustard and camelina, cellulose, lignin, ash, and extractives were determined. Raw alpha-cellulose, beta-cellulose, and gamma-cellulose were also measured. The results showed that the content of lignin in non-wood plants is lower than that in softwoods. The cooked pulp was characterized by the delignification degree–Kappa number. Additionally, handsheet papers were made for selected samples of pulp. The handsheet papers were characterized by tensile index, breaking length, and smoothness and compared with commonly available papers.

Macro-meso failure characteristics of corn straw biomass integrated material columns with different integration methods under axial compression

Global wood resources have been in short supply for a long time, whereas corn straw resources are abundant. To effectively alleviate the shortage of wood resources and the harm caused by straw burning, this paper developed corn straw biomass integrated material substitute wood materials. Corn straw biomass integrated material is a new type of material produced by a new reorganization and integration process of corn straw, which can replace wood as a structural material in construction engineering. In this paper, the mechanical properties of the axial compression components of the three integrated methods of parallel texture integration, vertical texture integration, and combination texture integration of corn straw biomass integrated material are studied. Through experimental research on the corn straw biomass integrated material, the failure modes and bearing capacity of different integration methods are compared. The straw fiber characteristics of the failure surface of the axial compression component are observed on a mesoscopic scale. The axial compression failure mechanism is then analyzed and determined, and the optimal integrated method for the axial compression component of corn straw biomass integrated material is proposed. Strong theoretical support is provided for further research and application of corn straw biomass integrated material structural components, and a reliable reference for research on new sustainable biomass building materials is given.

Kinetic Modeling of Pulp Production from Plantain Trunk

Plantain pseudostem has high content of lignocellulose used for production of pulp. But ironically, this resource is unexploited, with plantain stem becoming a common domestic waste in many parts of the world. The present work provides a kinetic model based on the kraft process from experimental determination of the rate of delignification reaction of plantain stem aimed at its application for pulp making and eventual paper production. Objectives of the work are twofold: firstly, to create an alternative raw material to wood for pulp production given the dwindling wood resources world – over and secondly, as a means of environmental waste management and control. The Arrhenius kinetic model was used to find the rate constant for the process with precise determination of its activation energy and pre – exponential factor. Results of study showed that Plantain (musa acuminate) is similar in chemical composition and morphology, but has higher amounts of cellulose (which is the major substance in pulping) than banana (musa pradisiaca). Plantain pseudostem is therefore highly recommended as an alternative source of raw material to wood for pulping production.

Effects of Wood Product Utilization on Climate Change Mitigation in South Korea

Many countries, including South Korea, decided to suspend the inclusion of harvested wood products in their Nationally Determined Contributions, as part of the carbon inventory, in 2016. The inclusion of harvested wood products in the national greenhouse gases inventory must ensure the accuracy of carbon accounting and its conformity with the policy direction. The method used for harvested wood product carbon accounting can influence the accuracy of carbon account value, as well as policy direction based on greenhouse gas accounting. This research evaluated the utilization of domestic wood resources in South Korea in terms of carbon storage impacts from the perspective of the cascading use of wood products. The study also compared the two accounting methods (Tier 2 and Tier 3) of carbon storage for the period from 1970 to 2080, assuming the current pattern of wood resource utilization for the next sixty years. The results show that the current utilization of domestic wood resources is inefficient in terms of climate change mitigation. The analysis shows that there is a significant difference between the Tier 2 and Tier 3 methods in carbon storage effects, and the amount of harvested wood products carbon stock calculated by the Tier 2 method was found to be approximately double that of Tier 3. This result implies that there is a possibility of overestimating the carbon storage of harvested wood products when using the Tier 2 method in the case of net timber-importing countries, such as South Korea. The study can provide guidance for designing timber resource management from the perspective of the cascading use of wood products in order to contribute to sustainable development goals, including climate change mitigation.

Addressing management practices of private forests by remote sensing and open data: A tentative procedure

The qualitative and quantitative knowledge of forestry stands is a fundamental requirement for their management and exploitation planning. Traditional field measurements, based on plots, are certainly accurate, but time-consuming and expensive; moreover, it cannot provide a wall-to-wall estimate of measures over large areas. Even though they are essential for calibrate and validate models and respectively results, remote sensing could be a useful support for forest planners when trying to describe wide areas. Optical images from medium-high resolution satellite missions are widely employed due to their accessibility, affordability and readiness to use. Within this framework, in this study an approach based on open-data from the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission and Regional low density LiDAR data was developed in order to assess private forest wood resource in the Susa Valley (Piemonte Region, NW - Italy). The proposed methodology aims to support private forest management by the local forest consortium for basal area and wood volume estimation of forest stands. Specifically, the process was based on the jointly use of Multi-layer Perceptron (MLP) artificial neural network (ANN), trained and validated with respect to ground data from 285 surveyed plot. Furtherly, to refined wood volume estimates correcting factors accounting for slope and local stand fertility were applied. Estimates of volume stands were generated separately for conifers and broadleaves. Results prove that the adoption of correcting factors improved volume estimates by the MLP and ANN about 2% (relative mean absolute error) and 13% in conifer and broadleaf stands respectively.

RESOURCES OF WOODY PLANTS OF NORTH CAUCASUS BEECH FORESTS

The aim of this study is to investigate material and monetary valuation of forest resources in the beech forests of the North Caucasus. The plots were selected in the Central part of the North Caucasus, on the territory of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania (Kartсinsky ridge), between 1200-1350 m above sea level. Two objects are located on the northern macroslopes and two on the southern macroslope. The characteristics of phytocenoses on the experimental plots were established based on the results of a continuous enumeration of trees on a test area of 50x100 m. The number of undergrowth and undergrbrush, their composition and distribution by height groups, are established on circular areas of 10 m2. The average wood volume is about 300 m3/ha, and the average stand density is 248 trees per 1 hctare. The average number of undergrowth is 8988 per hectare, and underbrush 1998 per hectare. The average height of the young generation is 0.65 m, and the undergrowth is 0.86 m. The weight of one plant of average height in the air-dry state is 0.24 kg for undergrowth and 0.55 kg for undergrbrush. Phytomass of undergrowth and underbrush by species was set by weighing in a fresh and airdry state. Prices for all types of wood resources used average market prices as of 2019. The main income can be obtained from the sale of wood – about 650 thousand RUB/ha. Undergrowth and underbrush can give in a total about 43 thousand RUB/ha. At the same time, the period of maturation for the harvest of beech and related species is 100-140 years. During this period, it can be carried out about 15-20 harvests of undergrowth and underbrush, which together can generate income comparable to the amount from the sale of wood.