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The central purpose of this thesis is to study the familiar processes of quantum information theory from a thermodynamic point of view. Chapter 1 introduces equilibrium thermodynamics and its laws. The laws are then motivated in a statistical mechanics approach which explicitly employs the language of quantum information theory. Chapter 2 is dedicated to the concept of work extraction, in particular in non- equilibrium scenarios. In this context a generalised notion of equilibrium called passivity is introduced. The chapter’s final section gives an introduction and an overview of various approaches to work extraction ranging from classical to explicitly quantum scenarios. Chapter 3 considers the question of powerful unitary operations. Focussing on the case of qubits (or rather wits, short for ‘work bits’) the chapter’s first result is an explicit protocol for maximally powerful driving for any given initial state. Building onto this, the chapter’s second main result is a proof that the evolution time (and hence the power of the corresponding work deposition process) can be decreased by a factor of 1/N for an array of N wits if global driving is permitted (rather than individual driving in parallel). Lastly, the thermodynamics of completely-positive and trace-preserving (CPTP) maps is considered in Chapter 4. It is shown that the energy change during such a process can be split into three parts: a work-like equilibrium contribution, a heat-like equilibrium contribution, and a third genuinely non-equilibrium energy difference. All three terms obtain their meaning when considering how much work can be extracted from the input and output state of the CPTP process, respectively. Furthermore, the identification of work and heat in this manner complies with a recently published version of the second law, which applies to the same class of processes. This is demonstrated by considering unital and thermal maps.

NEWFOR (NEW technologies for a better mountain FORest timber mobilization) is a research project funded by the alpine space programme. It brings together 14 institutes of the 6 countries of the alpine space with the aim of improving forest timber evaluation and mobilisation. The project considers the whole wood supply chain, from forests to wood yards, with a particular emphasis on new remote sensing technologies and geographical information systems. The report presents the major findings of the project and outlines some key issues for a better mobilisation of alpine timber ressoures.

NEWFOR (NEW technologies for a better mountain FORest timber mobilization) is a research project funded by the alpine space programme. It brings together 14 institutes of the 6 countries of the alpine space with the aim of improving forest timber evaluation and mobilisation. The project considers the whole wood supply chain, from forests to wood yards, with a particular emphasis on new remote sensing technologies and geographical information systems. The report presents the major findings of the project and outlines some key issues for a better mobilisation of alpine timber ressoures.

International audience; Many mountain forests in the Alps protect residential areas and infrastructures from natural hazards. They are described as protection forests and their management aims to permanently provide a high protective effect. The maintenance and management of these forests are continuously improved and have reached a high standard. There is now a better understanding of the protective effects of the forest against natural hazards. In the Alps, there are currently several projects being conducted which aim to harmonize the assessment of natural hazards, damage potential and a resulting classification of protection forests. It is the objective to apply funding where needed in order to prevent damage from natural hazards. Currently, there is a need for improvement in the area of monitoring with advanced technology, such as Laser-Scanning (LIDAR), in linking inventory data from different sources, in simulation modeling to better estimate the long-term benefit of measures in the protection forest, and in transboundary collaboration.; Dans les Alpes, de nombreuses forêts protègent des localités et des infrastructures contre les dangers naturels. Elles sont désignées comme forêts protectrices. Elles sont soignées de façon à offrir durablement un effet protecteur aussi grand que possible. L'entretien et la gestion de ces forêts sont constammment améliorés et on atteint un niveau élevé. L'effet de la forêt contre les dangers naturels est de mieux en mieux connu. Plusieurs projets sont en cours dans l'arc alpin en vue d'harmoniser l'appréciation des dangers naturels et des dommages potentiels, et, à partir de là, la délimitation des forêts protectrices. L'objectif est d'utiliser les moyens disponibles pour la prévention des dangers de manière plus ciblée. Les possibilités d'amélioration se situent dans le suivi au moyen de techniques modernes (laser-scanning LIDAR), dans la liaison avec des données d'inventaire provenant de différentes sources, dans les modèles de simulation permettant de mieux évaluer l'efficacité à long terme des mesures en forêt protectrice, ainis que dans les collaborations transfontalières.