One of the six PhD students in the FRAS research school, my current project investigates the use of birch stock bred by Skogforsk in south Sweden. Overall I have tried to relate the external form of birch to the mechanical properties of birch wood, and relate this to management options.
I was also involved in a fertiliser trial in 2019 (Nilsson et al, 2021 in Forests), and I am currently investigating birch quality in a mixed stand with SLU. This way birch can be improved either through management (silviculture) or through breeding.
Broadleaved species are becoming better recognised as an important part of the Swedish forest, and birch is already present in abundant numbers. I hope the findings of this research will help inform forest managers about the solid wood they can get from their birch trees. Most of the birch in Sweden is currently used as fuel or pulp, but by identifying the best conditions, we can hope to measure and improve the quality of birch wood.
Teaching
Some teaching in 21HT - 4TS051 – “Skogsträdsförädling”
Research
Birch in south Sweden
Wood mechanical properties (stiffness, density, grain angle) and stem form (physical properties like branch frequency and diameter) measurements
https://www.linkedin.com/in/grace-jones-48b572124/
Family trials with Skogforsk and Silviculture work with SLU
Early press release on project aim: Seeing the wood through the trees
Publications
Article in journal (Refereed)
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Nilsson, J.A., Jones, G., Håkansson, C., Blom, Å., Bergh, J. (2021). Effects of Fertilization on Wood Formation in Naturally Regenerated Juvenile Silver Birch in a Norway Spruce Stand in South Sweden. Forests. 12 (4).
Status: Published -
Jones, G., Liziniewicz, M., Adamopoulos, S., Lindeberg, J. (2021). Genetic Parameters of Stem and Wood Traits in Full-Sib Silver Birch Families. Forests. 12 (2). 1-17.
Status: Published -
Mohan, K., Mason, E.G., Bown, H.E., Jones, G. (2020). A comparison between traditional ordinary least-squares regression and three methods for enforcing additivity in biomass equations using a sample of Pinus radiata trees. New Zealand Journal of Forestry Science. 50. 1-16.
Status: Published
Conference paper (Refereed)
- Jones, G., Adamopoulos, S., Liziniewicz, M., Lindeberg, J. (2019). Nondestructive wood density testing in downy birch and silver birch genetics field trial, southern Sweden. 21st International Nondestructive Testing and Evaluation of Wood Symposium, : Freiburg, Germany, 2019. 79-86.
Doctoral thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)
- Jones, G. (2022). Birch Stem and Wood Traits in Genetic and Silviculture Trials in Southern Sweden. Doctoral Thesis. Växjö, Linnaeus University Press. 75.