Agroforestry for hardwood timber production

Prof. J. W. 'Jerry' Van Sambeek

• Publisher: Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing
• Year: 2019
• eBook ISBN: 9781838797881
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• Subtopic: Forestry
• Index: Technology & Engineering

Managing hardwood trees for high-quality sawlogs within the agroforestry practices of alley cropping, silvopasture, forested riparian buffers and upland (windbreaks) buffers means intensively managing relatively wide-spaced trees and a ground cover as a companion crop on the same unit of land. This chapter synthesizes available information on managing such trees for production of veneer and high-quality sawlogs within the agroforestry practices aforementioned. Sections on the impact of ground cover on tree growth are provided, as are growing-space requirements for hardwoods. Pruning recommendations and practices are also covered as pruning is essential for production of high-quality logs of most species in any agroforestry practice. The chapter concludes with a section on log and wood quality and the general requirements of veneer logs (e.g. nearly cylindrical shape with a well-centred heart, a minimum of internal defects, uniform wood colour and texture and properly sawed to length without debris) discussed.

Table of contents

• 1 Introduction
• 2 Impact of ground cover on tree growth
• 3 Growing-space requirements
• 4 Pruning recommendations and practices
• 5 Log and wood quality
• 6 Summary
• 7 Future trends in research
• 8 Where to look for further information
• 9 References