Forest Quality offers a range of products and services related to the assessment of wood properties in plantation forests.
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Field Sampling for wood quality
We can undertake specialised field work, assisting with developing sampling plans and undertaking safe and thorough sampling programs. As experienced researchers, we understand the need for accurate and high quality data, and the associated record keeping. As well as undertaking much of the analytical work, by undertaking the sampling as well, we can offer a seamless product minimising the number of intermediate steps the customer needs to organise.
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IML Resistograph
Since 2015 we have been working with the PD400 Resistograph
instrument supplied by IML.
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Kraft Pulp Yield
Using a robust and well tested calibration, we can provide
predictions of Kraft pulp yield (at kappa 18) on wood samples as
small as 1 gram. This can be done much more cheaply than
conventional lab pulping (~AUD$18 - 50 per sample).
This includes grinding the sample into woodmeal; the cost
difference being determined by the amount of sample that needs
grinding. A sample comprising large woodchips requires a larger
grinder and more sample to get a suitably representative samples.
Smaller samples based on drill frass or increment cores take less
preparation. (more on Kraft pulp yield)
Cellulose Content
As above, we can provide NIR-based prediction of (diglyme)
cellulose content using a multi-site, multispecies calibration.
Alternatively or in combination we offer laboratory (diglyme)
cellulose determinations of eucalypt samples. A combination
of the above provides a cost-effective approach using the
laboratory data to provide a check of the NIR predictions.
(more on Cellulose content)
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Basic density
We can provide a measurement of basic density for solid wood or woodchip samples. Either using us to collect cores from your plantation, or sending us cores you have collected, we can provide standard measures of basic wood density. Or if you require more detailed analyses involving densitometry of SilviScan analyses, we can facilitate that and given our experience in the processing and analysis of SilviScan data, we can assist in its analysis and interpretation. We have a NIR-based prediction of basic density for eucalypts that is close to being ready for commercial application.
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Portable NIR calibration development
We can develop calibrations for portable NIR (such as the Polychromix Phazir) as required, for the prediction of KPY and cellulose content. NIR can also be used for the measurement of a range of other plant properties such as foliar nitrogen.
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eCambium
FQ has been involved in the development and validation of the new process-based softwood quality model, eCambium. This exciting new tool utilises daily variation in weather data to predict daily wood property variation in the generation of radial profiles of wood variability. FQ can help you access this modellign capability to undertake an evaluation of how wood properties vary across your softwood forest estate.
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A two year FWPA project is about to commence (May 2018) to convert the existing eCambium software into a more automated, user-friendly online web-processing tool.
