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42 TECHNOLOGY JUL/AUG 2024 FDM ASIA | www.fdmasia.com

ADVANCEMENTS Visitor7

IN WOOD QUALITY

ASSESSMENT

WITH EFFECTIVE

TECHNOLOGIES treatments) not only on growth and volume but also on material

The early assessment of wood quality, even quality can assist decision-makers in their intervention choices.
while trees are standing, provides significant Targeting wood quality during silvicultural planning optimises
benefits for forest management, sales efficiency, wood resource management and conservation, thereby creating
and market diversification. A review of the
scientific literature is given to discuss the visually value beyond mere extraction.
evaluable attributes that define wood quality in Both forest owners and users can benefit from knowing
standing trees, the applicability of the techniques the quality of forest compartments, facilitating more efficient
used for their assessment, and the effectiveness purchasing and selling. Indeed, segregation of material based
of these attributes and technologies in predicting
quality, to finally highlight future research needs. on quality enables more efficient sales, diversifying destinations
By Michela Nocetti, Institute of BioEconomy to suit the most appropriate markets.
and Stellenbosch University, Michele Brunetti, In the same way, timber destinations and uses can be
Institute of BioEconomy
planned based on market prices for the different assortments

ood quality assessment can occur at various stages obtainable. The overall supply chain benefits as manufacturing
within the value chain. Typically, it is evaluated companies gain better insight into raw material availability,
Wduring the semi-finished or finished product allowing for effective production planning while minimising
stages, where classification into quality classes increases sales imports.
efficiency and product value, or when mandatory assessment Finally, wood quality evaluation is crucial in selecting
is required for product marketability, such as for structural genetic material for tree breeding programs.
applications. For the usability of structural products, strength With the recognition of these numerous advantages,
grading certifies their mechanical performance by assigning research focusing on wood quality in standing trees has
them to specific strength classes. significantly increased. A literature search conducted in the

Studies have been conducted to assess material quality Web of Science database using keywords (‘wood quality’ or
already in the post-harvest phase, involving the segregation ‘timber quality’) and ‘standing’ yielded the results. The total
of logs for different assortments and destinations, or for early number of publications from 1990 to 2023 was 195, steadily
evaluation of mechanical quality. rising along with the number of citations.
An evaluation further upstream in the supply chain, such Despite the extensive research published on the topic,
as directly in the forest on standing trees, offers several while forestry has numerous verified tools for assessing and
advantages for the many actors involved. projecting growth, yield, and tree size, operational and widely

From a forest management perspective, understanding the used methods for assessing and predicting wood quality
effects of different factors (climatic, site-specific, and cultivation are still lacking. Including wood quality in forest resource