The Forest Science and Technology Centre of Catalonia (CTFC) has published a technical guide to facilitate assessment of standing timber quality and indicate the possible industrial destinations of the main valuable broadleaved species. It is a tool to support rapid assessment of these species’ potential for valuable timber generation. This should ultimately help in designing silvicultural interventions and integrating single-tree silviculture criteria in forest management.
The consideration of single-tree silviculture criteria is of growing interest within adaptive forest management schemes, especially in mixed stands. Single-tree silviculture implies focusing the management in the trees that may result in the highest economic (healthy and well-shaped trees of valuable species) or ecological (underrepresented species, trees producing edible fruits or including microhabitats of wildlife interest) outcomes.
The Forest Science and Technology Center of Catalonia (CTFC) has produced, in collaboration with the Forest Ownership Center of Catalonia (CPF) a protocol to ease the fast identification and on-site characterisation of valuable broadleaves, as a tool to ease the application of single-tree silviculture. This publication is produced in the framework of LIFE MixForChange project.
The protocol consists of two modules and three annexes:
– Module 1: Assessment of the potential for timber quality production of standing small and intermediate trees. The aim is to identify trees that are likely to generate added value timber products in the future, so that they can be promoted through pruning and/or selective thinning.
– Module 2: Assessment of standing timber quality in intermediate and large trees. The aim is to assess the timber quality of standing trees and to help decide whether to apply silvicultural interventions (selective thinning or felling).
– Annex 1: Field charts for assessing timber quality at stand level.
– Annex 2: Quality requirements and roundwood assessment of oak, ash, maple, cherry and chestnut.
– Annex 3: Identification of the main valuable broadleaved species in various periods of the year and states of development.
This guide is available in English, Spanish and Catalan.
Full reference
Coello J, Garcia Q, Baiges T. 2020. Protocol for standing timber quality assessment of valuable broadleaves. CTFC, Solsona (Spain). 25 p.
