WOOD quality as a strategic COMpetitive advantage in Finland
Starting year
2020
End year
2022
Objectives of the project
WP1: Temporal changes in coniferous wood density in Finland Wood density is a summary indicator describing wood quality in the mechanical and chemical wood industries and bioenergy, as well as its biomass and carbon content. We will quantify and predict trend-like changes in wood density at national and regional levels based on history data. The results will show the effects of increased forest growth on wood density between geographical regions in Finland, site types, stand structures, and management alternatives. WP2: Taper curve functions for Scots pine and Norway spruce The terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) data collected by Luke in 2017-2018 indicates that volume of the tree stems as a function of diameter and height differs significantly from that reported by Laasasenaho (1982). We do not know, however, how this affects to the tapering, i.e., if significant changes have taken place in the butt logs or higher in the stems. Thus, WP2 aims at producing and publishing up-to-date taper curve functions for Finnish spruce and pine, and analyzing the change in the optimal log distribution, based on existing TLS data. WP3: Wood Hub - a platform for solid wood competence promotion, collaboration, and dissemination WP3 aims at creation and establishment of brand “Wood Hub�, a science based knowledge and service platform for wood product development and timber construction. Wood Hub will be a network of five organizations (Luke, University of Eastern Finland, European Forest Institute, Karelia University of Applied Sciences, South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences). In addition to the establishment of Wood Hub, externally funded projects will be initiated. The service offering of Wood Hub is based on the top-level experts, state-of-the-art laboratory facilities of the member organizations, and collaboration in research innovations and business concept development. Wood Hub as such will not create any new laboratory infrastructure, while the participating organizations may develop their facilities independently.