Principal aims
The Laboratory of Silviculture, Wood Technology and Forestry Mechanization was created with the aim of undertaking studies and research in the Forest-Wood Supply Chain.The Lab ranges from the purely forest knowledge obtained from dendro-auxometric and dendrochronological analysis to the study, investigation, and testing, according to the most up-to-date regulations in force, on primary wood products (beams, morals, strips, etc.). The laboratory is recognized as a center for the collection of seeds and sections of stems of wood species of forest interest suitable to support the theoretical-practical exercises and the learning of the student. Moreover, the Laboratory takes care of the forest utilization activities to apply research on the productivity of forest works, the impact of machinery in natural environments, the safety and ergonomics of work. A particular theme concerns the study and the developing of the wood-energy sector with specific tests on pellets, chips and analysis of the energy conversion plants of the ligno-cellulosic production.
Research activities
The research carried out in the laboratory concerns topics of forest and environmental interest. In particular, analyzes are carried out concerning the management of forest resources in the urban and peri-urban ecosystems in order to achieve physical, social, economic and aesthetic benefits to society. Another activity carried out within the Laboratory is the study and deepening of plant growth methods, through dendro-auxometric analysis. This analysis represents a fundamental aspect for the characterization of the different forest ecosystems, also providing indirect information on the plant growth environment. In addition, the analysis and production of cartography through GIS applications is also carried out inside the laboratory. The laboratory also carries out research on wood biomass (pellets and wood chips) with specific qualitative tests. Regarding the enhancement of wood productions, the laboratory is able to carry out different types of investigations regarding the characterization, testing and enhancement of wood-based products and its derivatives. The characterization of the wood raw material is carried out starting from its 'production' in the forest to its final uses considering the different phases with coherent methodologies applicable on standing plants, on the round and on the semi-finished products resulting from the first and second processes. Support activities for the evaluation of the energy valorisation chains of woody biomass with particular interest in the evaluation and study of the wood supply chains as a whole according to UNI EN15234: 2011 The characterization is carried out both with destructive techniques (in the laboratory) and with non-technical techniques destructive (in the field or in the laboratory). The equipment used for non-destructive tests in the dotation of the laboratory, in addition to being used precisely for some types of characterization, can also be used in the field of diagnostics both standing plants and on wooden structures (see for example the stability of plants in the field urban - VTA), for the purpose of qualitative and structural evaluations. In particular, the non-destructive evaluation of a material consists in the identification of the physical and mechanical properties without altering the characteristics or the possibility of use. In short, at the laboratory of Silviculture, Wood Technology and Forestry Mechanism it is possible to:
- Evaluation on the presence of caries and rot on the stem of standing plants
- Diagnostics on standing plants and on wooden structures
- Visual classification of standing plants and roundwood
- Visual classification of sawn timber for structural use
- Machine classification of sawn timber for structural uses
- Quality of veneers and surfaces
- Quality of panels for musical uses
- Physical characterization of wood:
- Influence of cultural techniques on the quality of wood
- Dendrochronological analysis
- Test areas for the technological evaluation of the stands
- Classification of wood adhesives with respect to their resistance characteristics.
International relationships
The laboratory has operating out scientific collaborations with the following international scientific institutions:
- D.to de Produccièn Vegetal y Silvopascicultura, UVa- E.T.S. Ingenierías Agrarias - Universidad de Valladolid (Campus Palencia).
- The Finnish Forest Research Institute, Vantaa Research Unit, Haapastensyrjä Breeding Station.
- Faculty of Silviculture and Forest Engineering - Transilvania University of Brasov.
- Simonyi Károly Faculty of Engineering, Wood Sciences and Applied Arts - University of West Hungary.
- Federal Research and Training Centre for Forest, Natural Hazard and Landscape – Forestry Training Centre of Ossiach BFW – Austria
Horizon 2020 topics
Societal Challenges (Climate action, environment, resource efficiency and raw materials; Food security, sustainable agriculture and forestry, marine and maritime and inland water research, and the Bioeconomy;)
Smart Specialisation Strategy Calabria (S3 Calabria)
Ambiente e rischi naturali / Environment and natural risks
Bioedilizia / Green Building
| Pasquale Antonio Marziliano |
Forest Ecology |
SH3_1 - Environment and sustainability |
| Pasquale Antonio Marziliano |
Growth and yield |
LS9_5 - Agriculture related to crop production, soil biology and cultivation, applied plant biology |
| Pasquale Antonio Marziliano |
Dendro-auxometric |
SH3_1 - Environment and sustainability |
| Andrea Rosario Proto |
Biomass, biomass power plant, sustainability |
LS9_7 - Forestry, biomass production (e.g. for biofuels) |
| Andrea Rosario Proto |
Forestry Mechanization, Operational efficiency in forestry, extraction, logging, slope, sawmill, productivity |
PE7_4 - Systems engineering, sensorics, actorics, automation |
| Andrea Rosario Proto |
Quality, wood supply chain, precision forestry, sensors, remote control |
PE8_6 - Energy systems (production, distribution, application) |
| Andrea Rosario Proto |
Safety, ergonomics, injuries, risk assessment |
LS7_12 - Occupational medicine
PE7_9 - Man-machine-interfaces |
