BioMatNet Item: FAIR-CT96-1887 - Walnut: Production of high quality timber in Europe. Up-to-date tools for tree adaptation, wood standards and management (W-BRAINS Walnut - Basic Research for Agroforestry and Industry: Network and Standards)

FAIR-CT96-1887
Walnut: Production of high quality timber in Europe. Up-to-date tools for tree adaptation, wood standards and management (W-BRAINS Walnut - Basic Research for Agroforestry and Industry: Network and Standards)

Contacts
Website: www.juglans.org
Further Information

To find similar Items, click on a keyword below:
FAIR Area 1.3 - Forestry-Wood Chain : Forestry : Solid Wood Products : Wood (Lignocellulose)

	Type of Project	Shared Cost
	Contract No	FAIR-CT96-1887
	Total Cost	1,575,030 ECU
	EC Contribution	1,450,000 ECU
	Start Date	01/02/1997
	Duration	36 months

Walnut: Production of high quality timber in Europe. Up-to-date tools for tree adaptation, wood standards and management

Objectives

The general objectives of the W-BRAINS project are to determine criteria of walnut wood quality for commercial application including logs or end products (furniture) and to increase the production of high-quality wood in Europe. Walnut trees (J. nigra, J. regia and their hybrids) produce high quality timber and veneer (100 m3/ha after 50 years, 600 ECU/m3). Well-accepted by farmers, they are ideally suited for use in agriculture reconversion and diversification.

Technical Approach

The work programme is focused on the end product (high-quality wood for furniture) for its standardisation, labelling and commercialisation through a "walnut chain" structured by a European network. It combines basic studies in genetic and wood physiology with practical works on wood technologies, cultural systems and economy.

The study of walnut wood characteristics controlled by genetic and environmental factors is proposed through 4 major scientific and technical stakes:

To show how the phenolic metabolism, a specific and dominant pathway in walnut tissues, can be involved in many processes of wood formation such as cell differentiation, heartwood formation, wounding responses, colouring and durability.
To find specific molecular, biochemical or physical markers of walnut wood quality used for tree selection and wood standardisation.
To develop new technologies in steaming, drying and artificial colouring to be relevant with the industry demand depending on the utilisation of the different woods (light-coloured woods for production of furniture at large commercial scale, coloured woods for traditional furniture, figured woods for art objects).
To develop new cultural systems adapted to farmers and wood industry using plant material provided by breeders.

Expected Results

Acquiring knowledge in wood sciences (genetic, physiology and technology)
Impacts of environmental factors on radial growth and wood quality
Identification of natural products involved in walnut wood colouring
Development of new wood colouring procedure using natural products
Fixing a walnut wood classification for standardisation and labelling
Development of new cultural systems for experimentation and demonstration
Development of breeding programmes for genetic resources and tree selection
Listing of new genotypes available for a plant material network in Europe
Dissemination of scientific and technical results (publications and book)
Setting-up a European network (newsletter and worldwide web)

Applications

The current project will contribute to the development of 3 main applied areas:

Wood technology and utilisation.
Cultural system including genotypes and wood quality.
"Walnut chain" of wood production.

Wood technology aspects are developed in collaboration with 2 industrial partners at 3 levels: a) Colouring of light woods with natural products. b) Optimisation of steaming and drying conditions of woods according to their utilisation. c) Wood standardisation using molecular, biochemical and technological criteria identified by the research groups.

New cultural systems are tested in field to be in good accordance with the industrial demand (walnut wood with or without heartwood) and to increase the production of wood of high quality mainly devoted to furniture, in Europe. Field tests can be considered as plantations for demonstration at regional or national level (forest advisers and landowners).

The first European network working on walnut trees is developed in the WWW system and called "Walnut-BRAINS". It involves scientists, nurserymen, farmers or landowners, wood professionals, cabinet-makers and local or national forest advisers, for education training, transfer of technologies and marketing techniques.

Given the uses of walnut in agro-forestry and agriculture area reconversion, its high quality wood with exceptional added value, its susceptibility or tolerance to various injuries and the European-wide research team devoted to development and management of an intricate network designed by economists, this project can be regarded as a woody plant model for the European Community. The whole activities developed within this walnut group will contribute to the development of the "walnut wood chain" including SMEs in rural areas.

Walnut

Contacts

Coordinator

INRA Unité Amélioration, Génétique et Physiologie Forestière Physiology of Tree Development Team / FRANCE

EC Scientific Officer

Alexandros ARABATZIS / European Commission DG Research Theme 1 Key Action 5.3 / BELGIUM

Participant