The possibility of using non-native spruces for norway spruce wood replacement—a case study from the Czech Republic
Type
Journal article
Language
English
Date issued
2024
Author
Zeidler, Aleš
Borůvka, Vlastimil
Brabec, Pavel
Bedřich, Jakub
Vacek, Zdeněk
Cukor, Jan
Vacek, Stanislav
Faculty
Wydział Leśny i Technologii Drewna
Journal
Forests
ISSN
1999-4907
Web address
Volume
15
Number
2
Pages from-to
art. 255
Abstract (EN)
European forests are facing ongoing climate change, and certain tree species are being critically impacted. The Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) is one of the most sensitive species to climate fluctuations, a fact manifesting itself through massive dieback resulting in a lack of high-quality timber and timber market destabilization. Therefore, the possibility of wood substitution with non-native spruce species, namely, black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) Britt., Sterns, et Poggenburg), Serbian spruce (Picea omorika (Pančić) Purk.), and blue spruce (Picea pungens Engelm.), under the specific conditions of forest reclamations with great potential for future afforestation was tested. Wood density, modulus of rupture, and modulus of elasticity were used to evaluate wood quality in comparison with native Norway spruce. The results confirmed that only the Serbian spruce reached the quality of Norway spruce and even exceeded it in terms of wood density (P. omorika 525 kg·m−3 vs. P. abies 517 kg·m−3) and exhibited comparable parameters with regard to other properties. The density of the other species was significantly lower for blue spruce (476 kg·m−3) and black spruce (468 kg·m−3). A similar trend was found for other wood parameters, which confirmed that Norway spruce quality was nearly comparable with that of Serbian spruce. On the other hand, black spruce and blue spruce did not match the quality of Norway spruce. The within-stem variability of the properties tested was low for all the spruce species examined. In conclusion, the Serbian spruce showed great potential for future usage in forest management and is one of the possible methods of Norway spruce replacement in times of unprecedented forest disturbances under the effects of global climate change.
License
CC-BY - Attribution
Open access date
January 29, 2024