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Revision as of 10:02, 14 October 2018
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Human Practices
The Landes forest shows a unique specificity related to several facts. Indeed, this forest stands for the largest european forest. Despite its poor ground, it shelters a particular species of tree, able to colonize a challenging environment, called maritime pine (Pinus pinaster). It might be a true asset in the context of current climate changes. Besides its adaptability, the Landes forest also shows a strong resilience against natural disasters.
In order to ensure a sustained production of wood and a sustainable system, local players continuously think of directions concerning the cultivation of maritime pine and its transformation.
As our project aims to use coproducts of wood transformation, it was important for us to go out and meet those players so they can help us to better understand the needs and the socio-economic issues of the Landes forest.
- The wood economy of the Landes Forest
- Dialogue with Régis Pommier, a passionate man
- Meeting with the competitiveness cluster Xylofutur
The wood economy of the Landes Forest
Dialogue with Régis Pommier, a passionate man
Régis Pommier
“Ingénieurie Mécanique et Conception IMC” department, Institute of mechanics and engineering I2M in Bordeaux
Thanks to our project “Far waste in the Landes Forest”, we were lucky to meet Régis Pommier from the I2M institute (Institute of mechanics and engineering, in Bordeaux). Régis Pommier is a really passionate man concerning the Landes forest and more generally concerning wood. He currently works on the recovery of wood through collage techniques and wood drying. During our meeting, Regis Pommier enlightened the sector’s challenges in the Landes forest.
The Landes forest, a real industry
During the exploitation of maritime pine (Pinus pinaster) in the Landes forest, every piece of wood is utilized. A real industry was built on this exploitation where every wood component is used for specific purposes. Therefore, there are no “waste” strictly speaking in the Landes forest.
Different applications depending on the life-stage of the tree
The maritime pine is harvested all along its growth. Thinnings are led on young trees from 10 to 20 years-old. The resulting wood will be transformed into pulpwood and firewood. Pulpwood is used by the paper industry where it is converted into cellulose pulp. We can also manufacture particle boards from this pulpwood. The remaining wood is used as firewood to produce energy.
A 30 years-old tree is considered as an adult or mature tree. Its trunk base can be then utilized for “higher purpose” to produce furnitures and constructions. The wood of the higher trunk is considered as less qualitative as it contains more nodes. Therefore, it is more likely transformed to produce wooden pallets. The high branches are converted again into pulpwood and firewood.
A wood quality depending on soil
Unlike deciduous trees (trees with broad leaves), the wood of resinous trees is more qualitative and compact through a slow growth. Therefore, the quality of the wood decrease when the fertility of the soil increase. Pines that are harvested on fertile soils are usually quickly cut down in order to be transformed into wooden pallets and pulpwood.
The sawing step, a low yield step
The wood collected from the harvest of maritime pine is then routed to sawing workshops in order to produce wooden planks. This step generates a very low yield with a great quantity of by-products (more than 30% of the raw material). These by-products are currently recovered as pulpwood or firewood.
A future for the recovery of by-products
Although there is a real and optimized industry in the Landes forest, it is actually important to boost innovation in this field in order to enhance the recovery of generated by-products. One of the major issues would be to achieve to handle a huge quantity of pulpwood in a high potential recovery process.