Qualitative Features of Wood as a Determinant for Wood Quality and Economic Assessment

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Wood Science and Forest Products".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 February 2022) | Viewed by 5822

Special Issue Editors

Logistics and Ameliorations, Department of Forest Harvesting, Faculty of Forestry, Technical University in Zvolen, T. G. Masaryka 24, 960 01 Zvolen, Slovakia
Interests: qualitative features of wood; biomass; wood quality; timber market; technical conditions for raw-wood assortments sorting
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Department of Wood Processing and Biomaterials, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, 165 00 Praha-Suchdol, Czech Republic
Interests: wood quality; wood structure; wood properties; quantitative wood anatomy; qualitative characteristics of wood; effect of silvicultural measures on the quality of wood

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The quality and qualitative features of wood are the main determinants that limit its use for specific methods of processing. As we have to assess wood quality according to the type and extent of the log defects so far, it is necessary to adopt suitable silviculture practices in forest stands to minimize them. This Special Issue will provide a platform for research into the individual qualitative features of wood; the possibilities of influencing their formation, size, and extent; and their possible uses in non-traditional methods of wood processing in a view of a circular bioeconomy. It will also provide space to explore new technological solutions to assess the qualitative features and quality of wood, as well as defect detection. The Special Issue also welcomes studies that address specific causes and biological processes related to the formation of wood qualitative traits including technological defects and how they can be managed. Overview studies on the occurrence and extent of the individual qualitative features of wood in the process of tree growth, caused by biotic and abiotic harmful factors, as well as human activity, are also suitable. Work focused on the economic evaluation and sales management of raw wood assortments, economic efficiency of timber trade, optimization of timber economic assessment, and the development of the timber market are also welcome.

Dr. Miloš Gejdoš
Dr. Aleš Zeidler
Dr. Alessio Giovannelli
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • qualitative features of wood
  • quantitative features of wood
  • qualitative wood anatomy
  • image analysis
  • log scanning technologies
  • software solutions for wood quality evaluation
  • wood properties
  • wood assortments
  • standards and technical conditions for wood sorting
  • wood processing
  • wood measurements
  • forest stands
  • forest harvesting

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 3668 KiB  
Article
Testing the Processing-Induced Roughness of Sanded Wood Surfaces Separated from Wood Anatomical Structure
by Lidia Gurau
Forests 2022, 13(2), 331; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/f13020331 - 17 Feb 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1346
Abstract
The metrology of processed wood surfaces is complex due to the presence of wood anatomical cavities, which are a factor of bias in several metrological steps, from the measuring to the evaluation of the surface quality. Wood requires special recommendations, and one regards [...] Read more.
The metrology of processed wood surfaces is complex due to the presence of wood anatomical cavities, which are a factor of bias in several metrological steps, from the measuring to the evaluation of the surface quality. Wood requires special recommendations, and one regards the use of a robust Gaussian regression filter for filtering the roughness. The filter was previously tested with success on wood surfaces and was used in this paper. Furthermore, a reliable quantification of the processing roughness requires that independent wood anatomical data be removed from the evaluation. The paper presents a method of separating the roughness induced by processing from the wood anatomical structure. It was tested on different wood species, sanded with various grit sizes, and on a plastic material included for comparisons. The results showed similar values of the processing roughness for materials sanded with the same grit size, in spite of their different structures. The method could further be used for optimization of processing parameters at sanding. Full article
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16 pages, 2225 KiB  
Article
Integrating Detailed Timber Assortments into Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS)-Based Assessments of Logging Recoveries
by Blanca Sanz, Jukka Malinen, Sanna Sirparanta, Jussi Peuhkurinen, Vesa Leppänen, Timo Melkas, Kirsi Riekki, Tuomo Kauranne, Mikko Vastaranta and Timo Tokola
Forests 2021, 12(9), 1221; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/f12091221 - 08 Sep 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1838
Abstract
The methodology presented here can assist in making timber markets more efficient when assessing the value of harvestable timber stands and the amounts of timber assortments during the planning of harvesting operations. Information on wood quality and timber assortments is essential for wood [...] Read more.
The methodology presented here can assist in making timber markets more efficient when assessing the value of harvestable timber stands and the amounts of timber assortments during the planning of harvesting operations. Information on wood quality and timber assortments is essential for wood valuation and procurement planning as varying wood dimensions and qualities may be utilized and refined in different places, including sawmills, plywood mills, pulp mills, heating plants or combined heat and power plants. We investigate here alternative approaches for generating detailed timber assortments for Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) H.Karst.), Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and birch (Betula spp.) from airborne laser scanning (ALS) data, aerial images, harvester data and field data. For this purpose, we used 665 circular plots, and logging recovery information recorded from 249 clear-cut stands using cut-to-length harvesters. We estimated timber assortment volumes, economic values and wood paying capabilities (WPC) for each stand in different bucking scenarios, and used the resulting timber assortment estimates to assess logging recoveries. The bucking scenarios were (1) bucking-to-value using maximum sawlog and pulpwood volumes excluding quality (theoretical maximum), and (2) bucking-to-value using sawlog lengths at 30 cm intervals for Norway spruce and Scots pine and veneer logs of lengths 4.7 m, 5.0 m, 6.0 m and 6.7 m for birch, either excluding quality (the usual business practice) or including quality (a novel business practice). The results showed that our procedure can assist in locating stands that are likely to be more valuable and have the desired timber assortment distributions. We conclude that the method can estimate WPC with root mean square errors of 28.7%, 66.0% and 45.7% in Norway spruce, Scots pine and birch, respectively, for sawlogs and 19.3%, 63.7% and 29.5% for pulpwood. Full article
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16 pages, 1132 KiB  
Article
Analysis of Qualitative Features of Beech and Oak Trunks as a Determinant of the Quality Assessment
by Miloš Gejdoš, Jozef Suchomel and Zuzana Danihelová
Forests 2021, 12(1), 15; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/f12010015 - 24 Dec 2020
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 1487
Abstract
Proper quality assessment of timber requires a certain level of knowledge and overview of technical conditions and correct identification and assessment of the qualitative features of trunks. The ratio of the highest quality classes is decreasing. Therefore, increasing the potential financial resources allocated [...] Read more.
Proper quality assessment of timber requires a certain level of knowledge and overview of technical conditions and correct identification and assessment of the qualitative features of trunks. The ratio of the highest quality classes is decreasing. Therefore, increasing the potential financial resources allocated to forest management could lead to the improvement and increase of this ratio. The objective of the study was to identify the frequency and occurrence of limiting features in the group of non-coniferous beech and oak trunks. A further objective was to classify major factors causing and increasing the frequency of occurrence of such limiting marks. Altogether, 969 beech and oak trunks were assessed in the University Forest Enterprise of the Technical University in Zvolen. The dependences of the size and occurrence of individual qualitative features on the selected factors were statistically assessed using the Pearson correlation coefficient and Cramer’s V; significance was established using χ2 test and a significance level α = 0.05. The most frequently occurring features were sweep, knots, and heart shakes. The results of the comparative and statistical analysis indicate that the management of forest stands and interventions carried out in the forest stands affect the occurrence of the negative features being analyzed the most. However, the conditions of the given site (soil, subsoil, and slope) also play a certain role and can affect the technological aspect of the harvest. The obtained results are valid for the conditions of the University Forest Enterprise of the Technical University in Zvolen; however, they can also be applied in a wider range of similar conditions of Central European forest stands. Full article
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