STODAFOR: Storm damaged forest: efficient and safe harvesting and log conservation methods

• Research unit: EU RFP
• Project number: 00.0299

Key words (German)

Sturmschäden; Sturmholz; Holzernte; Rundholzlagerung;
Agriculture; Economic Aspects; Environmental Protection; Life Sciences; Resources of the Sea; Fisheries

Alternative project number (English)

EU project number: QLK5-CT-2001-00645

Research programs (English)

EU-programme: 5. Frame Research Programme - 1.1.5 Sustainable agriculture, fisheries and forestry

Short description (English)

See abstract

Further information (English)

Full name of research-institution/enterprise:
Eidg. Materialprüfungs- und Forschungsanstalt EMPA
Abteilung Holz

Partners and International Organizations (English)

Coordinator: CTBA Paris (F)

Abstract (English)

Storms regularly strongly damage the European forests. The estimated 180 million m3 of fallen trees constitutes a great experimental field for improvement of methods for efficient and safe harvesting and log conservation. Harmonised procedures will be defined for evaluation and comparison of methods. A complete survey of publications and patents will collect the available methods and their implementation conditions. Remaining unsolved questions will be identified; an inventory of ongoing research will show the relevant additional experiments to be conducted. Partners will organise exploitation of ongoing and additional experiments. Short-term staff exchange will facilitate experience sharing. A technical users' guide, also accessible via a web site, and a technical seminar, will ensure efficient dissemination.

The main objective of this project is to elaborate an answer to the first two questions addressed to the forest- and wood industry managers when facing storm damaged forests:
1) How to harvest the fallen or broken trees in safe, economic and ecological ways?
2) How to preserve the wood quality in order to maintain the raw material supply to the wood industry and the income of the foresters?

This global objective is planned to be achieved through:
- Collection of existing European research and experiments related to storm damage and efficient and safe harvesting and log conservation;
- Suggestion of additional experiments;
- Organisation of a standard type of presentation of the different results, to allow comparison through a harmonised procedure;
- Drawing up of a guide for forest and wood managers;
- Dissemination through a web site and a seminar.

References in databases (English)

Swiss Database: Euro-DB of the
State Secretariat for Education and Research
Hallwylstrasse 4
CH-3003 Berne, Switzerland
Tel. [phone]
Swiss Project-Number: 00.0299