Research:

Departmental Foci:

Scientific work at the Department of Forest and Wood Science is characterized by a healthy blend of basic and applied research aspects. Based on this principle, the department has defined four overarching research fields that not only reflect our vision concerning the main questions to be answered by Forest and Wood Science in the coming years, but also show our ability to address the value-added chain of wood, paper and biomass production from the beginning to the end. To tackle these relevant topics we joined forces in the department to cover the necessary bandwidth of expertise and will extend our activities in the defined focal research areas in the future.

1. Precision Forestry

   Precision Forestry (PF) provides for additional, adequate quality information about forests and the manufacturing of forest products. It facilitates planning and site-specific forest management activities and operations to improve wood product quality and utilisation, to reduce waste, and increase profits. PF makes use of several key technologies such as GPS/GIS/RS, dealing with automatic data capture, including locating and navigation systems and thus addresses both, the use of geo-spatial-information to assist forest management, planning, and site-specific silvicultural operations. The need for precision forestry is no longer a choice in managing forests and producing forest products. Driven by both the ever increasing scrutiny over the protection of forest resources, and the economic need to use forest products to the fullest, professional foresters and product managers are demanding quality detailed information about forests they manage and products they make.

    

2. Integrated Land Use Management Initiative “Green Landscapes”

   “Green Landscape Design” is a concept, which spatially integrates different strategies and economic demands within the same region and includes all land use and in this context it plays a cardinal role in Africa. The requirements for forest services are manifold and they are not constant over time. Traditional forest planning is based on principles of constancy and long term stability. In reality, however, periodic reorientation and frequent changes of policy are quite common. It is also understood that not only one, but a variety of treatment options or “management paths” may be potentially suitable for each individual land parcel. Each path is characterized by a succession of specific management activities, unexpected hazards and specific system responses. The ultimate aim is to identify some optimum combination of management paths for the landscape as a whole. The conceptual framework for this research is provided by the Multiple Path Theory which assumes that a landscape is an aggregation of spatially defined land parcels of varying size and shape. This form of adaptive management, provides a suitable basis for designing forested landscapes.

    

3. Biomass and Biofuel Production Initiative “Power SA”

   The “Power SA” initiative aims at providing all necessary information on biomass and biofuel production in a South African and African context. It covers the value-added chain of production from the plant to the product of biomass and biofuels. This involves a wide range of expertise including remote sensing, inventory, the resource estimation with the help of simulation models, stand management for biomass production in plantations, agro-forests and in extensively managed forests, harvesting and transport, transformation technology and raw material quality considerations, ecologic implications on local and global level as well as socio-economic implications of bio-energy production. The department will focus future research work on the integration of these fields of expertise for a concise management of biomass and biofuel production with the aim to contribute to the optimization of resource use and the mitigation of climate change.

    

4. Wood Quality from the Plant to the Product

   Wood quality may be the most essential aspect of the value added chain of wood production, but also the one least understood. An optimisation and effective management of the value added chain and its individual links is only possible with a sound knowledge of the factors influencing wood properties during tree growth, harvesting, storage, drying and multiple conversion steps and also the quality determination process itself. This requires a holistic approach that attempts to link the single steps of production to understand their dependencies and identify crucial steps in the conversion chain that can be influenced by management. This includes modeling, simulation and novel methods of wood quality determination and product performance testing with the objective to understand and optimize wood quality throughout the value added chain of wood production.

Rehabilitation of Berggrond

Silviculture

Forest Management

Forest Engineering

Remote sensing and GIS

Forest Economics

Forest Development

Wood Processing

Wood Physics

Wood Chemistry

Wood Finishing

John de Wet (Mr)

Ben du Toit (Dr.)

Thomas Seifert (Prof)

Pierre Ackerman (Mr.)

Anton Kunneke (Mr.)

Cori Ham (Mr.)

Hannél Ham (Mrs.)

Brand Wessels (Mr.)

Martina Meincken (Dr.)

Tim Rypstra (Prof)

Barend Lotter (Mr)

Research contacts of department:

National and International:

Publications for 2010:

Publications older than 2010 available on request

Peer Reviewed Journal Publications

CHIRWA PW, HAM C, MAPHIRI S, BALMER M.  2010.  Bioenergy use and food preparation practices of two communities in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Journal of Energy in Southern Africa 2010; 21(4) : 26-31.

CORRIGAN BM, KNEEN M, GELDENHUYS CJ, VAN WYK B-E. 2010.  Spatial changes in forest cover on the KwaNibela Peninsula, St Lucia, South Africa, during the period 1937 to 2008. Southern Forests: A Journal of Forest Science (Southern Hemisphere Forestry Journal) 2010; 72(1) : 47-55.

DU PLESSIS M, LE ROUX NJ, GARDNER S, SWART JPJ, RYPSTRA T.  2010  The pulp and paper properties of Sirex noctilio invested and fire damaged thermo-mechanically pulped, South African grown Pinus patula. Southern Forests: A Journal of Forest Science (Southern Hemisphere Forestry Journal) 2010; 72(3/4) : 173-179.

DU TOIT B, SMITH CW, LITTLE KM, BOREHAM G, PALLETT RN.  2010.  Intensive, sitespecific silviculture: Manipulating resource availability at establishment for improved stand productivity. A review of South African research. Forest Ecology and Management 2010; 9(259) : 1836-1845.

ESBERG C, DU TOIT B, OLSSON R, ILSTEDT U, GIESLER R.  2010.  Microbial responses to P addition in six South African forest soils. Plant and Soil 2010; 329 : 209-225.

KLASH AR, NCUBE E, DU TOIT B, MEINCKEN M.  2010.  Determination of the cellulose and lignin content on wood fibre surfaces of eucalypts as a function of genotype and site.  European Journal of Forest Research 2010; 129(4) : 741-748.

LANDRY JA, CHIRWA PW.  21010.  Analysis of the potential socio-economic impact of establishing plantation forestry on rural communities in Sanga district, Niassa province, Mozambique. Land Use Policy Journal. 2010; 28: 1-10.

MEHL JWM., GELDENHUYS CJ, ROUX J, WINGFIELD MJ.  2010.  Die-back of kiaat (Pterocarpus angolensis) in southern Africa: a cause for concern? Southern Forests 2010, 72:121-132.

MEINCKEN M, SMIT NH, STEINMANN DE.  2010.  Physical properties of burnt timber, with special focus on the drying performance. European journal of wood and wood products 2010; 68(4) : 455-461.

MUGABI P, RYPSTRA T, VERMAAS HF, NEL DG.  2010.  Correlation between drying defects, their parameters and moisture gradient in kiln-dried, South African grown eucalyptus grandis poles. Maderas-Ciencia y Tecnologia 2010; 12(3) : 199-208.

MUGABI P, RYPSTRA T, VERMAAS HF, NEL DG.  2010.  Relationships between drying defect parameters and some growth characteristics in kiln-dried South African grown Eucalyptus grandis poles. European Journal of Wood and Wood Products 2010; 68:329-340. 38

NCUBE E, MEINCKEN M.  2010.  Surface characteristics of coated soft- and hardwoods due to UV-B ageing. Applied Surface Science 2010; 256 : 7504-7509.

QUINION AF, CHIRWA PW, AKINNIFESI FK, AJAYI OC.  2010.  Do agroforestry technologies improve the livelihoods of the resource poor farmers? Evidence from Kasungu and Machinga districts of Malawi. Agroforestry Systems 2010; 80(3) : 457-465.

SEIFERT T, BREIBECK J, SEIFERT S, BIBER P.  2010.  Resin pocket occurrence in Norway spruce depending on tree and climate variables. Forest Ecology and Management 2010; 260 : 302-312.

SYAMPUNGANI S, GELDENHUYS CJ, CHIRWA PW.  2010.  The use of species-stem curves in sampling the development of the Zambian miombo woodland species in charcoal production and slash-and-burn regrowth stands. Southern Forests: A Journal of Forest Science (Southern Hemisphere Forestry Journal) 2010; 72 : 83-89.

VENA PF, GÖRGENS JF, RYPSTRA T.  2010.  Hemicelluloses extraction from giant bamboo prior to kraft and soda aq pulping to produce paper pulps, value-added biopolymers and bioethanol. Cellulose Chemistry and Technology 2010; 44(4-6) : 153-163.

Journal articles (non-subsidised)

EVANS PD, MACDONALD I, RYPSTRA T, MORTIMER JH, WESSELS CB, MULLER R, MULLER B, LOUW J.  2010.  South Africa's wood processing industry education strategy: north south partnership to develop a globally competitive workforce for the 21st century. International Journal of Wood Products 2010; 1(1) : 48-56.

FALCÃO MP, SUMAILA RU, GELDENHUYS CJ.  2010.  Policy impact on resource use and conservation in Miombo woodland, Pindanganga, Mozambique. Journal of Horticulture and Forestry 2010; 2(8) : 180-189.

HOGG GA, PULKKI RE, ACKERMAN PA.  2010.  Multi-Stem Mechanized Harvesting Operation Analysis - Application of Arena 9 Discrete-event Simulation Software in Zululand, South Africa. International Journal of Forest Engineering, 2010; 21(2) : 14-22.

SEIFERT T, NICKEL M, PRETZSCH H.  2010.  Analysing the long-term effects of artificial pruning of wild cherry by computer tomography. Trees-Structure and Function 2010; Trees-Structure and Function 2010, 24 : 797-808.

SYAMPUNGANI S, CHIRWA PW, AKINNIFESI FK, AJAYI OC.  2010.  The Potential of Using Agroforestry as a Win- Win Solution to Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation and Meeting Food security Challenges in Southern Africa. Agricultural Journal, 2010; 5: 80- 88.

SYAMPUNGANI S, GELDENHUYS CJ, CHIRWA PW.  2010.  Age and growth rate determination using growth rings of selected miombo woodland species in charcoal and, slash and burn regrowth stands in Zambia. Journal of Ecology 2010; 2(8) : 167-174.

Proceedings

ACKERMAN PA, HAM H, LU C.  2010.  IUFRO Precision Forestry Symposium. IUFRO International Precision Forestry Symposium, STIAS, Stellenbosch, South Africa, Department Forest & Wood Science 2010: 1-85.

DIAW MC, PRABHU R.  2010.  Sustainable Forest Management and Poverty Alleviation: Roles of Traditional Forest-related Knowledge. Sustainable Forest Management and Pverty Alleviation: Roles of Traditional Forest-related Knowledge, Kunming, China, 2010: 114-115.

DU TOIT B, SWART JPJ, DE WAAL TJ.  2010.  Utilisation du bois des arbres exotiques invasifs pour la consommation en bois-énergie : la province du cap (Utilising the wood of exotic invasive trees for urban consumption as bio-energy in the Western Cape province, South Africa). Foresterie urbaine et périurbaine en Afrique Quelles perspectives pour le bois énergie (Urban and peri-urban forestry - perspectives for bio-energy), Bogota, Colombia, Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations 2010: 53-61.

MALA WA, GELDENHUYS CJ, PRABHU R.  2010.  Local Conceptualization of nature, Forest Knowledge Systems and Adaptive Management in Southern Cameroon. Traditional Forest-related Knowledge and Sustainable Forest Management in Africa, Accra, Ghana, Dept Forest & Wood Science 2010: 1-10.

MUGABI P, RYPSTRA T, VERMAAS HF, NEL DG.  2010.  Correlation between and within drying defect parameters in kiln-dried, South African grown Eucalyptus grandis poles. Sustainable Materials and Products for Future Needs Joint International Workshop IAWS Executive Committee / 7th ESTB, Agdal University, Ifrane, Morocco, 2010: 36.

MUNALULA F, WESSELS CB.  2010.  The non-destructive determination and modeling of knotty core sizes of pruned Pinus patula trees on a compartment basis. IUFRO Precision Forestry Symposium, STIAS, Stellenbosch, South Africa, Dept Forest & Wood Science 2010: 1-85.

RYPSTRA T.  2010.  Developments in undergraduate wood science education at Stellenbosch University, South Africa. Joint International Workshop IAWS Executive Committee/7^th ESTB (School of Wood Science and Technology), Mohammed V - Agdal University, Ifrane, Morocco, 2010: 15.

RYPSTRA T.  2010.  Forest and Forest resources of South Africa and their uses. Wood and Derivatives: Sustainable Materials and Products for Future Needs. Joint International Workshop IAWS Executive Committee / 7th ESTB, Agdal University, Ifrane, Morocco, 2010: 2.

RYPSTRA T.  2010.  Wood and Derivatives: Sustainable Materials and Products for Future Needs. Joint International Workshop - IAWS Executive Committee / 7th ESTB, Agdal University, Ifrane, Morocco, Universite Mohammed V - Agdal Faculte des Sciences 2010: 2-86.

SEIFERT T, KLEMMT H-J, SEIFERT S, KUNNEKE A, WESSELS CB.  2010.  Integrating terrestrial laser scanning based inventory with sawing simulation. Precision Forestry Symposium, STIAS, Stellenbosch, South Africa, Dept forest & Wood Science 2010: 12-13.

Chapters in Books

HAM C, DIEDERICHS N, JACOBSON MG, FALCÃO MP, HOWARD M, MANDER M, MANJORO A, DUBE T.  2010.  Increasing the Rural Livelihood Benefits from Natural Product Ventures in Southern Africa: Case Studies and Business Models. CP Wild Group, Stellenbosch, South Africa 2010:49 pp.

LAENGIN DW, ACKERMAN PA, KRIEG B, IMMELMAN A, VAN ROOYEN J, UPFOLD S.  2010.  South African Ground Based Harvesting Handbook. Institute for Commercial Forestry Research, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa 2010:188 pp.

ACKERMAN PA, LÄNGIN DW.  2010.  Chapter 1 - Introduction. In South African Ground Based Harvesting Handbook, Institute for Commercial Forestry Research, Scottsville, South Africa, 2010: 13-22.

HAM C, CHIRWA PW.  2010.  (Natural Resources Governance) Part 3: Forestry. In Natural Resources Governance in Southern Africa, Africa Institute of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa, 2010: 65-91.

Kalaba FK, Chirwa PW, Syampungani S, Ajayi OC.  2010.  Contribution of agroforestry to biodiversity and livelihoods improvement in rural communities of Southern African regions. In: Teja Tscharntke, Christoph Leuschner, Edzo Veldkamp, Heiko Faust, Edi Guhardja, Arifuddin Bidin (Eds.).Tropical rainforests and agroforests under global change . Springer Berlin. 2010: 461-476pp.

KRIEG B, ACKERMAN PA, LÄNGIN DW, HOGG G.  2010.  Chapter 4 - Harvesting System and Equipment Costing. In South African Ground Based Harvesting Handbook, FESA – Forest Engineering Southern Africa, Scottsville, South Africa, 2010: 113-127.

LÄNGIN DW, ACKERMAN PA, OLSEN G.  2010.  Chapter 2 - Introduction to Ground Based Harvesting Systems and Methods. In South Africa Ground Based Harvesting Handbook, FESA - Forest Engineering Southern Africa, Scottsville, South Africa, 2010: 23-43.