Ring shake in chestnut: a main problem for the resumption of quality chestnut wood cultivation
2002
Fonti, P. | Giudici, F. | Conedera, M. (WSL Sottostazione Sud delle Alpi, Bellinzona-Ravecchia (Switzerland))
In the general context of reviving chestnut cultivation to a European level, chestnut wood is also experiencing a favorable period. However, the quality of the wood produced at present is insufficient to cover modern market requirements. On the one hand, ring shake remains a far too frequent factor of wood assortment depreciationwhile, on the other hand, the application of silvicultural techniques for the production of quality lumber is still in a preliminary stage. Therefore, in spite of favorable market conditions, we must resign ourselves to active management of chestnut coppice forests. Recent studies carried out at the Sottostazione Sud delle Alpi of the WSL with the collaboration of other Swiss and foreign institutes have allowed a deeper examination of some aspects of the phenomenon. In particular it has been shown that wood strength is positively correlated with ring width. A suitable choice of sites on which to practice quality chestnut coppice cultivation combined with adequate silvicultural treatments favoring fast and regular growth of shoots would contribute- through an increase of the radial strength and a reduction of wood stresses-to diminishing the risk of ring shake. These results are particularly encouraging because they indicate that quality chestnut coppice cultivation is in conformity with the prevention measures that could be adopted in order to reduce the risk of ring shake.
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