Biology and Ecology of Norway Spruce
Biology and Ecology of Norway Spruce

Author: Mark G. Tjoelker

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2007-05-29

Total Pages: 474

ISBN-13: 1402048408

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This is a concise and comprehensive review of the biology, ecology, and management of Norway spruce. Written by 25 experts in the field, and richly illustrated, it integrates classic and contemporary literature. More than 2000 works are cited in the text, which highlights basic research and forestry practices in central and Eastern Europe. The huge range of topics covered includes the species’ morphology, its physiology and nutrition, and its ecology.

Wood Quality and its Biological Basis
Wood Quality and its Biological Basis

Author: John Barnett

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2009-02-18

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13: 1405147814

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Wood is the most versatile raw material available to man. It isburned as fuel, shaped into utensils, used as a structuralengineering material, converted into fibres for paper production,and put to newer uses as a source of industrial chemicals. Its quality results largely from the chemical and physicalstructure of the cell walls of its component fibres, which can bemodified in nature as the tree responds to physical environmentalstresses. Internal stresses can accumulate, which are releasedcatastrophically when the tree is felled, often rendering thetimber useless. The quality of timber as an engineering materialalso depends on the structure of the wood and the way in which ithas developed in the living tree. Tree improvement for quality cannot be carried out without anunderstanding of the biological basis underlying wood formation andstructure. This volume brings together the viewpoints of bothbiologists and physical scientists, covering the spectrum from theformation of wood to its structure and properties, and relatingthese properties to industrial use. This is a volume for researchers and professionals in plantphysiology, molecular biology and biochemistry.

Age and Thinning Effects on Wood Properties of Red Spruce (Picea Rubens Sarg.)
Age and Thinning Effects on Wood Properties of Red Spruce (Picea Rubens Sarg.)

Author: Michael P. Wolcott

Publisher:

Published: 1987

Total Pages: 28

ISBN-13:

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Ten overstory red spruce were selected from a thinned stand and 10 from an unthinned stand. Average age of sample trees was approximately 80 years. Specific gravity reached a maximum at age 53 in the thinned stand and age 72 in the unthinned stand, after which it remained relatively constant. Stiffness reached a maximum at ages 35 and 50, and bending strength at ages 41 and 54; both remained relatively constant with further increases in age. Stiffness showed the largest relative difference between juvenile and mature wood, 22%, and specific gravity the smallest difference, 8%. Thinning did not adversely affect any of the properties, even though the width of some growth rings was increased by three to four times. These results suggest that (1) growth of mature red spruce stands can be increased by thinning without affecting wood physical properties, and (2) intensive management practices designed to shorten the rotation age may lead to stands that have not begun to produce mature wood before they are harvested. These short-rotation stands will contain a higher percentage of juvenile wood than stands presently being harvested, which means that pulp yields will decrease and the material will be less suitable for structural lumber.