GO CONIFERAS: Task force for the study of conifers complementary to forest plantations affected by diseases in the Cantabrian coast.

Type Grupo operativo
Status In progress
Execution 2024 -2026
Scope Supraautonómico
Autonomous community Castilla y León; País Vasco
Main source of financing PEPAC 2023-2027
Project website GO Coníferas

Abstract

The project falls within the forestry and bioeconomy sectors and targets the forest-industry value chain in the management of forests and the rapidly growing coniferous industry in northern Spain by restoring ecosystems, improving competitiveness and industrial performance and increasing biodiversity.

Description

The MAPA product is intended for forestry and associated industries and aims to promote the use of coniferous wood already present in the country. The standardization of sawn wood for structural use is the first step in the base of the value chain. With sawn wood within the regulations and with defined properties, the development of laminated products for structural use takes place, as in other countries (Germany, Austria, Italy, the United Kingdom and Canada).

Description of activities

Determination of pine masses (radiata and black pine) affected by different diseases, and their economic quantification of damage;
Phytosanitary diagnosis and economic market study of alternative species.
Territorial maps of ecological suitability for the implementation of the species and replacement of diseased conifers for the different alternatives.
Quantitative inventory and obtaining of a representative sample of Douglas fir at a national level as a species with the greatest current potential to provide wood to the primary processing industry.
New forestry routes from an economic, environmental and climate change perspective for Douglas fir.
Tool for assigning technological quality of individual trees and their mass of the different alternatives studied (Pseudotsuga menziesii, Pinus taeda, Pinus elliottii, Picea sitchensis and Sequoia sempervirens).
First visual and mechanical structural grading system for Douglas fir obtained. New structural and carpentry products manufactured and evaluated for optimal species.

Contextual description

Forest modelling combining the combined prediction of volumes and qualities of wood, both from the point of view of size and abundance of defects in the wood, and from a mechanical point of view (strength and rigidity characteristics), has not been detected in any development in Spain, although it has been developed in other countries such as France, Germany, Australia and New Zealand, pioneering countries in the development of this methodology.

In Spain, CESEFOR has developed the first management diagrams that incorporate wood quality for Douglas fir stands in La Rioja. These results were published in 2018 and marked a change in the trend in work and research methods in the forestry sector. The techniques for modelling the ecological suitability or adequacy of a station to a taxon use functions that define in the ecological space the different relationships between the presence of the taxon and the range of values of the environmental variables that are considered to explain its distribution.

The information needed to generate these functions includes both ground truth data on presence or presence and absence of the taxon being analyzed and the environmental attributes of the studied territory. These types of models have been used in multiple fields such as conservation plans. LiDAR or airborne laser has already been successfully used to quantify the timber stocks of a specific stand or even a forest region (Blanco et al, 2017; Tomé et al, 2017).

The possibility of working in grids allows estimating the quantity of wood available there, the height of green branches, development of undergrowth, risk of felling, etc. The use of sonic technology has allowed the characterization of the technological properties of the stands and the development of models for predicting the modulus of elasticity in different species, both coniferous and hardwood. The use of resistographs means significant savings in time and costs.

Objectives

Restore, conserve and improve coniferous ecosystems in northern Spain, ensuring the supply and use of coniferous wood.
Improve the competitiveness of primary producers by integrating them into the forest-industry value chain through improvements in: forest management, valorisation, standardisation of their products and opening up to structural wood.
Improve industrial performance in the primary processing of wood.
Increase biodiversity by promoting five taxa with different ecological requirements.

Results

Inventory and diagnosis of affected conifers and alternative species.
Compilation of experiences and study of alternative species marking.
Collection of soil and climate information, sampling and generation of territorial models for the ecological suitability of the alternative species.
Collection of flights with LIDAR data and search for cutting plots. Define sampling from the mass structure using LIDAR data.
Plot layout and field data collection on forestry and wood technology variables.
Quantitative inventory based on LIDAR technology of Douglas fir stands at the base. Meta-analysis of data and determination of environmental and forestry variables influencing the technological properties of wood.
Proposals for different regular forestry routes. Evaluation of each route in terms of economics, CO2 fixation and ecosystem benefits.
Guide for the irregular management of Douglas fir in the Cantabrian coast.
Models from NDT and visual variables that predict the technological quality of the tree.
Logistics for cutting and sawing plots. Predictive models for technological quality of logs. Integration of predictive models into a pre-existing ICT tool for the service of auctioneers and owners.
Mechanical classification and bending tests of parts intended for construction (500 Douglas pieces).
Obtaining statistical adjustments and developing European standardization technical reports.
Manufacturing with species of interest and evaluation testing of different product samples: Glued Laminated Wood, Cross Laminated Board, Strip Board, Carpentry Profiles, Flooring.

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