Project information
Project manager
Jimmy Johansson
Other project members
Marie Johansson, Ulf Lemke (RISE), Kalvis Kons (SkogForsk)
Participating organisations
RISE, SkogForsk
Financier
Södra's research foundation
Timetable
2024-01-01 to 2025-06-30
Subject
Forestry and wood technology (Department of Forestry and Wood Technology, Faculty of Technology)
More about the project
The proportion of birch in southern Swedish forests is increasing at a faster rate than other tree species. Its use is currently limited almost exclusively to pulp production and firewood. To improve forest owners' incentives for managing birch for long-term viable forests and optimal fiber yield, more high-value products need to be created. Processing birch for use as sawn timber or potentially veneer production in the future are such methods.
SkogForsk is currently conducting an analysis of timber quality and dimensions on harvested birches to provide a basis for practical advice on birch forest management and improve birch timber quality in the future. However, the study ends at the log level.
In this project, the material collected by SkogForsk will be sawn into planks and boards and studied in terms of quality outcome both at the appearance level and property level through strength testing. The project thus offers an opportunity to follow a material's properties from forest to sawn wood product. The project's results provide a comprehensive view from forest to product regarding the quality of birch, which are important knowledge for optimizing the value of timber from the forest.
The project is part of the research areas Forest Products and Forest Economics. It is also included in the Linnaeus Knowledge Environment: Green Sustainable Development.
