Search

A pure, 2 x 1 m (5,000 plants ha-1) plantation of northern red oak was established in the park of Mikes Castle (Zăbala, Covasna County) in the spring of 2012. The local ecological conditions (mean annual temperature 7.6 oC, mean annual rainfall 616 mm, brown acid soil) are of moderate fertility for northern red oak as well as for native forest vegetation (sessile oak-European beech mixed stands). A cleaning-respacing was carried out in the two R&D plots established in April-May 2019, which h ave shown some interesting characteristics prior to the intervention at age 7: (i) stocking: 4,692 trees ha-1 (plot 1) and 3,692 trees ha-1 (plot 2); (ii) mean arithmetic diameter: 4.84 cm (plot 1) and 5.01 cm (plot 2); over 40% of trees in both plots show diameters over 5 cm (mean diameter increment over 7 mm yr-1); (iii) quadratic mean diameter: 5.05 cm (plot 1) and 5.12 cm (plot 2); (iv) mean height: 6.48 m (plot 1) and 6.77 m (plot 2); over 40% of trees in both plots are over 7 m tall (mean height increment over 1 m yr-1); (v) height of mean diameter of basal area: 6.75 m (plot 1) and 6.88 m (plot 2). The cleaning-respacing intervention was mostly from below and of high (plot 1) and moderate (plot 2) intensity by number of trees as well as of moderate intensity (both plots) by basal area. The residual stand is still dense in both plots (e.g., stocking over 3,200 trees ha-1; basal area over 7 sq.m ha-1), with higher-than-initially mean diameters and mean heights and lower stability indices in both plots. The number of ”potential” final crop trees selected prior to cleaning-respacing based on the vigour-quality-spacing criteria was higher (538 trees ha-1 in plot 1,461 trees ha-1 in plot 2) than in other European countries (maximum 400 trees ha-1). As a part of these trees show forking at heights lower than 4 m, only 150-200 trees ha-1 of such trees will be selected during the pole stage, when the application of crop tree silviculture, targeting their free-growth state, is desired.

The chronicle presents the most important results of the colloquium entitled “Le bois, source de ressource durable - un acteur de la transition” and carried out as part of the exchanges started in 2019 between SCNF (Société nationale des chemins de fer français) and the Franco-Japanese Society of industrial techniques. The colloquium included the actual conference, hosted in Versailles (October 23-25), as well as two field days in the Lorraine region (north-east France) (October 26-27). The host of the colloquium was the École nationale supérieure de paysage (ENSP), a higher education institution created in 1976 and operating in the premises of the former École nationale supérieure d’horticulture, established in Versailles in 1874. The event in Versailles aimed to address the issue of ensuring and rational and sustainable use of wood resources, taking into account aspects related to biodiversity and the social functions of forests. Consequently, the colloquium proposed an exchange of ideas between the “actors” who participate in the production and transformation of “this material with exceptional qualities” and its end users. The three days of the conference took place in three directions: (i) historical and social approach to forests, (ii) reconciliation of wood resources with biodiversity and (iii) anticipation, with numerous presentations related to the mentioned themes. The colloquium continued with a field trip to the Lorraine region of France, where the host of the first day of the field visit was the Champenoux Station of the Grand Est-Nancy Research Center of INRAe, the agricultural, food and environmental research body, including forestry, of France. Here we were introduced to the activity of the station, which houses three forest research units, the laboratories in its premises, as well as the nearby Amance Arboretum. On the last day, the participants traveled to the Forêt de Haye, a forest massif of approximately 11,000 ha, of which 6,500 ha are state forests, located near Nancy. Among the most suggestive aspects of the field visit, we can mention (i) the possibility of harvesting thinning trees with the help of harvesters, after marking the trees to be extracted with paint and opening the skidding trails, (ii) the special problems with the dieback of European beech, especially on very shallow soils (only 20-30 cm of mineral soil), against the background of the long-term lack of precipitation during the growing season, (iii) the special interest given to rare and valuable tree species such as Sorbus torminalis or Sorbus domestica during the application of tending operations, species whose growth in thickness is favored by interventions from above, following the provision of free growth state (without competition) at the crown level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eine Kombination unterschiedlicher physikalischer und struktureller Holzkennwerte wurde eingesetzt, um Walnußholz zu untersu-chen. Hierzu wurden fünf Probebäume ausgesucht, bearbeitet und definierte Holzproben hergestellt.

Northern red oak (Quercus rubra L. syn. Q. borealis F. Michx.) is a valuable broadleaved tree species originating from the eastern half of the USA and Canada. It was introduced to Europe in 1691 and currently covers over 350 000 ha, being found all over the continent, except the coldest part of Scandinavia. It is a fast-growing and valuable broadleaved tree due to its ecological characteristics, good wood properties and high economic value. Northern red oak prefers deep, loose, moderately humid and acid soils, without compact horizons and of at least moderate fertility. It does not grow well on dry, calcareous soils as well as waterlogged or poorly drained soils. It is either naturally regenerated using a group shelterwood system or planted using seedlings of European provenance, collected in certified seed stands. As northern red oak is light-demanding, its management should be 'dynamic' and includes heavy interventions (cleaning–respacing and thinning from above), in order to minimize crown competition between the final crop trees. These should produce large diameter trees for valuable end uses (e.g. veneer, solid furniture, lumber, etc.) within a rotation period generally of 80–100 years. The necessity for pruning (both formative and high) depends on the stand stocking at establishment, the subsequent silvicultural interventions as well as the occurrence of forking. The adaptation potential of northern red oak to predicted climate change, especially drought, seems to be higher than for European native oaks, the importance of the species is expected to increase in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The congress, organized for the first time in South America, was hosted by the city of Curitiba-Brazil and gathered about 3,000 scientists from 92 countries. They have presented 1,648 oral communications and 964 posters, during five plenary sessions, 20 sub-plenary sessions, and 195 technical sessions. The congress also included technical tours, social and side events, thematic exhibits, courses for scientists from developing countries. The congress has elected the new president (John Parrotta, USA) and vice-presidents (Daniela Kleinschmit, Germany, and Liu Shirong, China) and confirmed the location of the XXVIth IUFRO World Congress to be held in Stockholm, Sweden, in 2024. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the results of a project dealing with the structural characteristics of a silver fir (Abies alba Mill.)-dominated stand (including Norway spruce, European larch, European beech, hornbeam, etc. as secondary tree species), 25 years old and naturally regenerated by uniform shelterwood cuttings. In spring 2012, three research & demonstration plots (RDP1, 2, and 3) of 450 sq.m, 400 sq.m and 300 sq.m were established. In RDP 1 and RDP 2 cleaning-respacing interventions with different silvicultural objectives and intensities were carried out while RDP3 was kept as control. In all plots, potential final crop trees (between 400 and 489 trees/ha), mostly of silver fir, were selected based on the vigour-quality-spacing criteria. The main results of the field measurements and office analyses are as follows: - owing to the exceptional regeneration potential of silver fir, as well as its high shade-tolerance, the initial stocking of living trees was over 10,000 stems in all plots. After intervention the stocking varies between 1,350 trees/ha in RDP 2 and 10,032 trees/ha in control plot; - following intervention stand basal area was reduced to 10.87 sq.m/ha (RDP2) and 20,25 sq.m/ha (RDP1); basal area shows the maximum value in control plot (31.65 sq.m/ha); - the mean diameter ranges between 5.60 cm (control plot) and 10.19 cm (RDP2); - the mean height is less variable than the mean diameter and ranges between 7.56 m (control plot) and 8.42 m (RDP 2); - the mean slenderness index h/d is the highest (over 130) in control plot and lowest (96) in RDP2; - the variability of potential final crop trees in terms of their mean diameter, mean height and mean slenderness index is much lower than in case of overall trees found in the three R&D plots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prestigious Thurn und Taxis Prize (established in 1978) for the year 2019 was awarded to Dr. Adrian Dănescu, a young Romanian-born forest engineer with two Alma Maters: Faculty of Silviculture and Forest Engineering in Brasov, Romania (Head of B.Sc. Class in 2011) and Albert-Ludwigs-Universität in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany (M.Sc. in 2014 and Ph.D. in 2018). The awarding ceremony was organized by the Technical University of Munich in the beautiful St. Emmeram Palace of Regensburg (Germany) on December 18, 2019, and the prize was awarded by Gloria, Princess of Thurn und Taxis, a German socialite, businesswoman, philanthropist, Catholic activist, and artist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]