Technical Services news 2004

 

News about projects, activities and events carried out by Forest Research Technical Services Unit (TSU).

Norwegian Study Tour of Scotland

November 2004

Forest Research hosted a study tour in North Scotland for Norwegian foresters interested in the utilisation of Sitka spruce, which is currently just beginning to be harvested in Norway. The trip was organised by Knut Sandiland of the Norwegian Institute of Wood Technology and included colleagues representing Forest Owner Organisations, saw millers, the Norwegian Forest Research Institute and Public Authorities.

Led by Elspeth Macdonald and Alistair Macleod, the tour included visits to Gordons saw mill in Nairn, Norboard near Inverness and a Sitka spruce harvesting site in Tay FD. Indoor sessions included presentations from Elspeth on FR work on Sitka spruce timber quality, Franka Brüchert from Centre for Timber Engineering at Napier University on the SIRT project (Strategic Integrated Reasearch on Timber) and Ivor Davies, Napier University, on the Northern Periphery timber cladding project.

Rowan seed collection

September 2004

Forest Research is undertaking a series of nursery and field based tests based on collecting representative seed material from widespread populations of native species and evaluating it at a range of sites. The aim is to create a range-wide collection of rowan across Great Britain in order to examine the level of variation that exists within the native rowan population and also to what extent rowan can alter to suit an environment which is different from its origin.

Technical Services staff have visited and selected sites for collection from a list of five suggested areas believed to contain suitable native rowan populations for each FC Local Seed Zone in GB. Newton Field Station staff are extracting the seed prior to dispatch to Christie Elite Nurseries Ltd in Forres who will then produce the plants for the site trials.

Grazing impacts

September 2004

Ae Field station are involved in a Defra contract studying grazing impacts on upland Oak and Ash woodlands in Lakes and North Yorks Forest Districts.

Level II vegetation surveys

August 2004

Fraser and Steg McBirnie carried out vegetation assessments on the Level II sites across GB. This work included surveying a range of habitats as diverse as Oak woodland in Grizedale to Norway spruce plantation in north Wales.

Construction of scaffold tower for Edinburgh University

July 2004

Newton Field Station staff erected a 22m free standing scaffolding tower in the Griffin block in Aberfeldy on behalf of Edinburgh University. The tower will allow University staff to monitor atmospheric changes above and below the forest canopy.

Phytophtora ramorum

July 2004

Technical Services Unit (TSU) completed surveys throughout the UK in earlier this year to determine whether the disease Phytophtora ramorum is established in Britain's woodlands. Over 310 sites were surveyed and more than 80 samples sent for analysis, none of which proved to be positive. A further survey will be carried out early in 2005.

Rare moth discovered

June 2004

A scarce moth found only in a few montane districts in Europe, and until 2002 only in East Inverness-shire (Watsonian Vice County 96) in the UK has been recorded by staff of Technical Services Unit (TSU), Newton, working in Sutherland (VC107).

The moth, Swammerdamia passerella, which is restricted to Dwarf Birch, Betula nana as a larval host plant, was found in the larval stage by Duncan Williams (Lairg Field Station) during fieldwork on peatland experiments for Forest Research Woodland Ecology during 2002. A brief survey after this initial discovery revealed the moth to be locally abundant in several localities with Betula nana, all on Forestry Commission ground in Dornoch Forest District. This small moth cited as being of "very restricted distribution" was formerly known only from a few sites centred around Glen Affric, at altitudes of 300-600m.

Until 2003 Swammerdamia passerella had apparently never been observed (in the UK) in the wild as an adult, all records being of larvae feeding in their characteristic webs on the hostplant. In May and June of 2003 adults were observed flying freely amongst the larval foodplant at two of the localities discovered during the previous year (paper in preparation).

Small roundwood drying trial

June 2004

Stephen O'Kane (Newton) has been assisting Technical Development to prepare a small roundwood drying trial for fuel wood production. This work, based in Lochaber and Fort Augustus Forest Districts, involves measurements of weight, volume and moisture content of a number of pine and spruce timber stacks. These will be air dried in the forest and Newton staff will monitor climatic conditions, moisture and weight loss over a 2 year period.

Farm Shelter Assessment

June 2004

Driven by the the 2003 Northern Isles Locational Supplement and the more recent Western Isles Supplement, Alistair MacLeod (Newton) provided training for the Farm Shelter Assessment. The course in Orkney involved Woodland Officers together with staff from the Shetland Amenity Trust and Orkney Woodland Development Project.

Large pine weevil population dynamics

June 2004

Staff at Lairg are involved in a 5 year project collecting data on Hylobius abietis (Large pine weevil) population dynamics in Lodgepole pine. This information will be used to refine the Management Support System currently being developed by Forest Research entomologists. Previous work had concentrated on spruce but work in Dornoch Forest District suggests that there may be significant differences between crop species.

West Argyll Forest District Open Day

June 2004

Following last years success Newton staff erected two scaffold towers creating a walkway through an oak tree canopy for West Argyll Forest District. This feature formed one of the attractions at a local Forest District Open Day.