Interpine Innovation

A Forest Condition Monitoring System for New Zealand
18/10/2010 4:55:00 p.m.
Over the past 100 years, New Zealand has developed a significant exotic forest resource that now provides the foundation for one of the largest industry sectors in New Zealand's economy. Alongside the commercial benefits of New Zealand's exotic forest resource sit an array of community and environmental values, not least is the contribution of these resources to New Zealand's impact on global climate change. Recognising these values has prompted the New Zealand Forest owner's Association (NZFOA) to commission Interpine to develop a system to monitor the condition of New Zealand's forest over time. Stimulated by concerns about forest decline, forest condition monitoring (FCM) systems have become widespread throughout Europe and North America since the 1980s. However, in New Zealand there has been no systematic approach to monitoring the condition of New Zealand's plantation forest estate until now.       Forest decline in a European Spruce (Picea abies) forest caused by insect infestation     What will we be measuring? In FCM systems tree and forest condition are used as indicators of forest health. The criteria assessed must be scientifically valid and economically viable to collect. Crown condition has become the most widely used indicator or tree health and has become the cornerstone of the majority of FCM programmes around the world. Primarily assessed through the measurement of defoliation and crown transparency crown condition monitoring will represent the core of New Zealand's FCM system. Working in collaboration with experts from Germany and researchers from Scion, Interpine have produced a data collection field manual for the New Zealand...

Resin Coding Assessment During Forest Inventory - An External View of Potential Internal Resin Problems
17/09/2010 8:47:00 a.m.
Interpine implement external resin bleeding scoring in most of forest inventory operations, to assist with assessment of internal wood quality. Introduction to Resin Coding AssessmentA series of studies have confirmed clear links between external resin on the bark of radiata pine and subsequent degrade and value loss in potential clearwood products. Resin scores are collected by forest inventory staff using the Wood Quality Initiative's "Field Guide to Assist Recongnition and Classification of Resinous Defects on Bark of Radiata Pine". This is then used to keep resin incidence within the woodflows from pruned stands constant over time and in particular avoid large numbers of severe resin stands being harvested over any period. Maps produced from resin scoring are used to identify resin prone areas and environmental factors, which should be avoided over the next crop rotation. Resin scoring is also extensively being used in : Juvenile stem assessment can also be used in the pruning prescriptions as part of the selection criteria for trees to prune. Genetic trials to remove the resinous seedlots from the next crop generation. Combined with log-end segregration during harvesting to remove resinous logs out of the clears product line. These tools are inexpensive and easy to implement with the potential to make a large difference in the impact of internal resinous defects of the value of your forest resource.   Literature Cited – Quick Refs McCONCHIE, "Field Guide to Assist Recongnition amd Classification of Resinous Defects on Bark of Radiata Pine", WQI, Rotorua 2005. (Images shown are...