Predictions about the performance of British spruce timber will be made possible through a timber quality model showcased at a recent seminar hosted by Forest Research.
Dr Jean Michel Leban of the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomie in Nancy developed the model in conjunction with Forest Research, the Forestry Commission‘s research agency.
Event organiser Dr Jason Hubert said the forest industry is now demanding more specific quality information to guide both forest management decisions and large scale investments in sawmilling.
He added: “This need is even more urgent now stands being felled are those that were planted on more challenging sites during the expansion of forestry into upland areas during the 1960s and 1970s.”
Dr Leban’s model, he said, would make it possible to predict the impact of different types of forest management and improved genetic material on wood properties and the performance of Sitka spruce timber.
“This ongoing work will help demonstrate that British grown Sitka is suitable for a wide range of uses, including use as structural timber. The models being developed can be used to help predict the properties of wood from forests across the UK.”
