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A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Forest Ecology and Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 January 2020) | Viewed by 45857

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Prof. Dr. Pierre Blanchet

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Department of wood and forest sciences, Laval University, Quebec City, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
Interests: wood coatings; second wood processing; product development; wooden construction; durability of materials and buildings; eco conception; operationalization of sustainable development
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Dear Colleagues,

The global climate is putting significant pressure on the materials sector to decrease their environmental impacts. This is a real opportunity for growth in the use of forest products. Forests, sustainably managed, offer the opportunity for the society to make eco-responsible choices. Many economies depend on the forest sector. This special edition is an opportunity for researchers all over the world to demonstrate the advances they are making in the wise use of forest products.

This special edition of MDPI Forest is dedicated to forest products. More specifically, the topics are:

Structural products
Appearance wood products
Hardwood uses
Softwoods uses
Transformation processes
Wood as biomass energy
The environmental impact of forest products
Biorefinery products
Forest products in the building
Forest Products Marketing
Mechanic and physic of wood
Wood composites
Wood bonding
Hybrid materials using wood
Wood protection

Prof. Dr. Pierre Blanchet
Guest Editor

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Published Papers (12 papers)

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Editorial

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4 pages, 653 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Wood Productions and Renewable Materials: The Future Is Now

by Pierre Blanchet and Charles Breton

Forests 2020, 11(6), 657; https://doi.org/10.3390/f11060657 - 09 Jun 2020

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2406

Abstract

The forest sector plays a key role in meeting the climate change challenge. Forest products and renewable materials are masterpieces in achieving this role. This editorial destails the benefits of these forest prodcuts and celebrates the contributions of the authors who submitted their work to this special edition of Forests journal. This edition presents 11 papers, which include the characterization of a new fiber supply, the description of advanced materials and their environmental impact, and an examination of structural products, wood protection, and modifications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wood Productions and Renewable Materials)

Research

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11 pages, 1902 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Cell Wall Bulking by Maleic Anhydride for Wood Durability Improvement

by Mingming He, Dandan Xu, Changgui Li, Yuzhen Ma, Xiaohan Dai, Xiya Pan, Jilong Fan, Zaixin He, Shihan Gui, Xiaoying Dong and Yongfeng Li

Forests 2020, 11(4), 367; https://doi.org/10.3390/f11040367 - 26 Mar 2020

Cited by 19 | Viewed by 2792

Abstract

Wood is susceptible to swelling deformation and decay fungi due to moisture adsorption that originates from the dynamic nanopores of the cell wall and the abundant hydroxyl groups in wood components. This study employed as a modifier maleic anhydride (MAn), with the help of acetone as solvent, to diffuse into the wood cell wall, bulk nanopores, and further chemically bond to the hydroxyl groups of wood components, reducing the numbers of free hydroxyl groups and weakening the diffusion of water molecules into the wood cell wall. The derived MAn-bulked wood, compared to the control wood, presented a reduction in water absorptivity (RWA) of ~23% as well as an anti-swelling efficiency (ASE) of ~39% after immersion in water for 228 h, and showed an improvement in decay resistance of 81.42% against white-rot fungus and 69.79% against brown-rot fungus, respectively. The method of combined cell wall bulking and hydroxyl group bonding could effectively improve the dimensional stability and decay resistance with lower doses of modifier, providing a new strategy for wood durability improvement. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wood Productions and Renewable Materials)

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15 pages, 3263 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Anatomy of the Windmill Palm (Trachycarpus fortunei) and Its Application Potential

by Jiawei Zhu, Jing Li, Chuangui Wang and Hankun Wang

Forests 2019, 10(12), 1130; https://doi.org/10.3390/f10121130 - 10 Dec 2019

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2828

Abstract

The windmill palm (Trachycarpus fortunei (Hook.) H. Wendl.) is widely distributed and is an important potential source of lignocellulosic materials. The lack of knowledge on the anatomy of the windmill palm has led to its inefficient use. In this paper, the diversity in vascular bundle types, shape, surface, and tissue proportions in the leaf sheaths and stems were studied with digital microscopy and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Simultaneously, fiber dimensions, fiber surfaces, cell wall ultrastructure, and micromechanics were studied with atomic force microscopy (AFM) and a nanoindenter. There is diversity among vascular bundles in stems and leaf sheaths. All vascular bundles in the stems are type B (circular vascular tissue (VT) at the edge of the fibrous sheath (FS)) while the leaf sheath vascular bundles mostly belong to type C (aliform (VT) at the center of the (FS), with the wings of the (VT) extending to the edge of the vascular bundles). In addition, variation among the vascular bundle area and tissue proportion in the radial direction of the stems and different layers of the leaf sheaths is also significant. Microscopically, the fibers in the stem are much wider and longer than that in the leaf sheath. The secondary walls of stem fibers are triple layered while those in the leaf sheath are double layered. The indentation modulus and hardness of the cell wall of leaf sheath fibers are higher than that of the stem. An independent sample t-test also showed a significant difference between stems and leaf sheaths. All this indicates that windmill palm stems and leaf sheaths are two different materials and have different application prospects. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wood Productions and Renewable Materials)

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15 pages, 8857 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Poplar Catkin Fibers Evaluated by Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) and Nanoindentation

by Yan Wu, Xinyu Wu, Tianlin Shi, Hong Chen, Hankun Wang, Meng Sun and Jilei Zhang

Forests 2019, 10(11), 938; https://doi.org/10.3390/f10110938 - 23 Oct 2019

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3430

Abstract

In this study, the microstructure and mechanical properties of poplar (Populus tomentosa) catkin fibers (PCFs) were investigated using field emission scanning electron microscope, atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray diffraction, and nanoindentation methods. Experimental results indicated that PCFs had a thin-wall cell structure with a large cell lumen and the hollow part of the cell wall took up 80 percent of the whole cell wall. The average diameters of the fiber and cell lumen, and the cell wall thickness were 5.2, 4.2, and 0.5 µm, respectively. The crystallinity of fibers was 32%. The AFM images showed that the orientation of microfibrils in cell walls was irregular and their average diameters were almost between 20.6–20.8 nm after being treated with 2 and 5 wt.% potassium hydroxide (KOH), respectively. According to the test of nanoindentation, the average longitudinal-reduced elastic modulus of the PCF S₂ layer was 5.28 GPa and the hardness was 0.25 GPa. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wood Productions and Renewable Materials)

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17 pages, 2338 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluating the International Competitiveness of Vietnam Wood Processing Industry by Combining the Variation Coefficient and the Entropy Method

by Thi Thanh Huyen Vu, Gang Tian, Naveed Khan, Muhammad Zada, Bin Zhang and Thanh Van Nguyen

Forests 2019, 10(10), 901; https://doi.org/10.3390/f10100901 - 11 Oct 2019

Cited by 35 | Viewed by 6149

Abstract

Indicators measuring industrial international competitiveness are being continuously improved. However, so far, there is no unified perfect indicator to measure the level of international competitiveness of the industry. Based on the market share index (MS), trade competitiveness index (TC), revealed comparative advantage index (RCA), and relative trade advantage index (RTA), we constructed a comprehensive international competitiveness index by combining the variation coefficient and the entropy method. This study aims to compare and evaluate the international competitiveness of the wood processing industry (ICWPI) in Vietnam using a comprehensive international competitiveness index. The data is collected from the top 22 countries and the total import and export volume of the wood processing industry from the repository of official international trade statistics (UN Comtrade) database for 2001–2017. The results found that it is more accurate to use the combined variation coefficient and the entropy method to evaluate the international competitiveness of the wood processing industry, compared to using only a single index. The growth rate of international competitiveness of Vietnam increased rapidly from 2001 to 2007 but slowed from 2008 to 2017. Vietnam has the advantages of natural resources, low labor costs and favorable geographical location. However, the low productivity gains and added industry value have led to a gradual decline in the international competitiveness growth rate of Vietnam’s wood processing industry. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wood Productions and Renewable Materials)

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14 pages, 7930 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Preparation of Nanocellulose Aerogel from the Poplar (Populus tomentosa) Catkin Fiber

by Yan Wu, Meng Sun, Xinyu Wu, Tianlin Shi, Hong Chen and Hankun Wang

Forests 2019, 10(9), 749; https://doi.org/10.3390/f10090749 - 01 Sep 2019

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3390

Abstract

The effects of chemical pretreatment on the purification of poplar (Populus tomentosa) catkin fiber and the effect of ultrasonic time for the microfibrillarization of poplar catkin fiber (PCF) were studied. The nanocellulose aerogels were prepared by freeze drying the cellulose solutions. The density, porosity, micro morphology, thermal stability and mechanical properties of the aerogels were analyzed. It was found that the dewaxing time of PCF is shorter than that of unsonicated nanocellulose. After the treatment of 0.5 wt% sodium chlorite for 2 h, the lignin of PCF was removed. After the chemical purification, the PCF was treated with 2 and 5 wt% NaOH solution and ultrasonicated for 5 and 10 min, respectively. When the ultrasonic time was 10 min, the diameter of the nanocellulose was 20–25 nm. When the ultrasonic time was 5 min, the aerogels with porous honeycomb structure can be prepared by using the nanocellulose sol of PCF as raw material. The density of the aerogels was only 0.3–0.4 mg/cm³ and the porosities of the aerogels were all larger than 99%. The difference between the pyrolysis temperature of aerogels was small, the elastic modulus of aerogels was 30–52 kPa, and the compressive strength was 22–27 kPa. With the increase of the concentration of NaOH solution (5 wt%) and ultrasonic time (10 min), the elastic modulus of aerogels increased gradually and reached the maximum value of 52 kPa, while the compressive strength reached the maximum value of 27 kPa when the PCF being treated in 5 wt% NaOH solution and was ultrasonicated for 5 min. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wood Productions and Renewable Materials)

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11 pages, 9045 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Characteristics of VOCs Released from Plywood in Airtight Environments

by Tianyu Cao, Jun Shen, Qifan Wang, Huifang Li, Cong Xu and Huajun Dong

Forests 2019, 10(9), 709; https://doi.org/10.3390/f10090709 - 21 Aug 2019

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2997

Abstract

In order to explore the emission characteristics of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and different VOC components in airtight environments, polyvinyl chloride laminated plywood (PVC-P), melamine-impregnated paper laminated plywood (MI-P), water-based paint laminated plywood (WP-P) and unfinished plywood (UF-P) were tested as materials in 15 L small environment cabins. VOCs were collected after being sealed for 2 h, 4 h, 6 h, 8 h, 12 h, 18 h, 24 h and 30 h under different loading ratios (1 m²/m³, 1.5 m²/m³, 2 m²/m³, 2.5 m²/m³) and analyzed using a gas chromatography–mass spectrometer. The results show that VOCs gradually increased and tended to be saturated with the increase of time in an airtight environment. The saturation of veneered plywood was faster than unfinished plywood and the pollution degree of three kinds of veneered plywood from lowest to highest was in order of PVC-P, MI-P, WP-P. Aromatic hydrocarbons account for more than half of VOC concentration, and was most obviously affected by the loading ratios. Surfaced laminated plywood can reduce the emission of aromatic hydrocarbons, but also increases the amount of other compounds released. The concentration of VOC-components shows different characteristic curves at different loading ratios due to the influence of decorative materials. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wood Productions and Renewable Materials)

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11 pages, 5211 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Flexural Performance of Built-Up Beams Made with Plantation Wood

by Tsai-Po Chien, Te-Hsin Yang and Feng-Cheng Chang

Forests 2019, 10(8), 647; https://doi.org/10.3390/f10080647 - 01 Aug 2019

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2805

Abstract

In this study, Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica (L. f.) D. Don) harvested from a plantation in Taiwan was used to develop built-up beams using self-tapping screws as metal connectors and resorcinol formaldehyde resin as glue to assemble components based on various assembly configurations. Results showed that adding glue provided flexural rigidity, whereas assembly using self-tapping screws resulted in built-up beams with high ductility but relatively low flexural bearing capacity. Beams used glue exhibited approximately linear behavior, whereas those using only screws exhibited some undulating and stepwise responses, implying that shear force between the flanges and the web may cause buckling as well as the dislocation of the self-tapping screws. When using components of similar grades, adding another web can improve the performance. Furthermore, the grades of flanges can strongly influence the flexural load-bearing capacity. In addition, a smaller spacing between the screws can improve the flexural load-bearing performance, but also cause wooden components to crack. Typical bending failure modes were observed in the developed built-up beams, indicating tension failure of the bottom flange as well as slippage between flanges and the web due to horizontal shear, which also caused buckling deformations in the screws. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wood Productions and Renewable Materials)

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12 pages, 3851 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Thermal Insulating and Mechanical Properties of Cellulose Nanofibrils Modified Polyurethane Foam Composite as Structural Insulated Material

by Weiqi Leng and Biao Pan

Forests 2019, 10(2), 200; https://doi.org/10.3390/f10020200 - 25 Feb 2019

Cited by 36 | Viewed by 4670

Abstract

Cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) modified polyurethane foam (PUF) has great potential as a structural insulated material in wood construction industry. In this study, PUF modified with spray-dried CNF was fabricated and the physical and mechanical performance were studied. Results showed that CNF had an impact on the foam microstructure by increasing the precursor viscosity and imposing resistant strength upon foaming. In addition, the intrinsic high mechanical strength of CNF imparted an extra resistant force against cells expansion during the foaming process and formed smaller cells which reduced the chance of creating defective cells. The mechanical performance of the foam composite was significantly improved by introducing CNF into the PUF matrix. Compared with the PUF control, the specific bending strength, specific tensile strength, and specific compression strength increased up to three-fold for the CNF modified PUF. The thermal conductivity of PUF composite was mainly influenced by the closed cell size. The introduction of CNF improved thermal insulating performance, with a decreased thermal conductivity from 0.0439 W/mK to 0.02724 W/mK. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wood Productions and Renewable Materials)

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16 pages, 2135 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Streamlined Life Cycle Assessment of an Innovative Bio-Based Material in Construction: A Case Study of a Phase Change Material Panel

by Mohammad Davoud Heidari, Damien Mathis, Pierre Blanchet and Ben Amor

Forests 2019, 10(2), 160; https://doi.org/10.3390/f10020160 - 13 Feb 2019

Cited by 24 | Viewed by 5688

Abstract

Research Highlights: This is the first study that analyzes the environmental performance of wood-based phase change material (PCM) panels. Background and Objectives: Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a powerful environmental management tool. However, a full LCA, especially during the early design phase of a product, is far too time and data intensive for industrial companies to conduct during their production and consumption processes. Therefore, there is an increasing demand for simpler methods to demonstrate a company’s resource efficiency potential without being data or time intensive. The goal of this study is to investigate the suitability of streamlined LCA (SLCA) tools and methods used in the building material industry, and to assess their robustness in the case study of a wood-based PCM panel. Materials and Methods: The Bilan Produit tool was selected as the SLCA tool and a matrix LCA was selected as the most commonly used SLCA method. A specific case study of a wood-based PCM panel was selected with a focus on its application in building construction in the province of Québec. Results: As a semi-quantitative LCA method, the matrix LCA provided a quick screening of the product life cycle and its hotspot stages, i.e., life cycle stages with high impact. However, the results of the full LCA and SLCA tools were quantitative and based on scientific databases. The use of the PCM panel and heating energy had the highest environmental impacts as compared to other inputs. The results of the full LCA and SLCA also identified energy consumption as a hotspot. Insufficient material or processes in the SLCA databases was one of the reasons for the difference between the results of the SLCA and full LCA. Conclusions: The examined SLCA methods provided proper explanations for the bio-based material in construction, but several limitations still exist, and the methods should be improved to make them more robust when implemented in such a specific sector. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wood Productions and Renewable Materials)

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7 pages, 2304 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Nondestructive Near-Infrared Spectroscopic Analysis of Oils on Wood Surfaces

by Noboru Ito, Naoya Okubo and Yohei Kurata

Forests 2019, 10(1), 64; https://doi.org/10.3390/f10010064 - 15 Jan 2019

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3359

Abstract

The further use of wood resources is expected in an environmentally conscious society. Added-value, such as durability enhancement and preservation by painting, are needed to expand the applicability of wood. Assessment of wood properties such as surface and coat adhesion can be made by studying perviousness to liquid oils, with the aim of developing wood products that deter insects and are weather-resistant; hence, discriminant analysis of oil type is important. Near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy is a powerful tool for nondestructive characterization of organic materials and has been widely used in many industries. Here, NIR detection of oil on wood surfaces is applied for the distinguishing of three different types of oil (hereafter, “Oil_1”, “Oil_2” and “Oil_3”) via soft independent modeling of class analogy (SIMCA). Oil_1 was antiseptic vehicle or cutting oil. Oil_2 was used as a motor oil for an oil pressure machine. Oil_3 was plant-derived oil. Two types of wood that are commonly used in Japanese construction (Cryptomeria japonica and Chamaecyparis obtuse) were analyzed after applying oil. The NIR spectra measured after the oil was applied were greater in the ranges 1700–1800 nm and 2300–2500 nm than spectra for the bare wood sample. As SIMCA analyses were performed by using spectral data that included the moving average, baseline correction and second derivatives, good results were obtained for Oil_3 for both wood samples. However, the correct classification percentages were low for Oil_1, and the percentage of samples classified within several categories was high. If the components are very different, such as those for Oil_3, NIRS can be a powerful non-destructive method for identifying oil in the context of wood products testing. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wood Productions and Renewable Materials)

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12 pages, 6283 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Color Stabilization of Siberian and European Larch Wood Using UVA, HALS, and Nanoparticle Pretreatments

by Eliška Oberhofnerová, Miloš Pánek, Milan Podlena, Miloš Pavelek and Irena Štěrbová

Forests 2019, 10(1), 23; https://doi.org/10.3390/f10010023 - 01 Jan 2019

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 4635

Abstract

Reducing discoloration of wood due to photodegradation caused by ultraviolet (UV) and visible (VIS) radiation enhances its aesthetical value and prolongs the overall service life of protective coatings. In this study, the efficiency of pretreatments with different active ingredients to reduce degradation and stabilize the color of Siberian (Larix sibirica Ledeb.) and European larch (Larix decidua Mill) wood was investigated. UV absorbers (UVA), hindered amine light stabilizers (HALS) and zinc oxide nanoparticles were used in twenty different pretreatments. The ability to protect wood surface against radiation was evaluated via color and gloss change measurements during artificial ageing. The efficiency of tested color-stabilizing pretreatments differed for Siberian and European larch and not all of them reduced discoloration. The most effective pretreatments were based on a combination of UVA and HALS in a synergistic effect. Overall, the best efficiency from tested variants for larch wood generally was observed for combination of Eversorb 80 on benzotriazole basis + Eversorb 93 on a piperidinyl basis. The pretreatments did not significantly affect the gloss values. The results revealed convenient variants of stabilizers for Siberian and European larch wood and confirmed different compatibility between specific wood species and color stabilizers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wood Productions and Renewable Materials)

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