A: RESEARCH/RESEARCH PROJECTS + INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION 

Numerous research efforts are underway involving staff, associate researchers and/or post-grad students. This includes research initiated by industry and/or Nelson Mandela University staff. Due to the wide diversity of research needs within the forest industry, coupled with the different disciplines offered by current Forest and Wood Technology staff, we are able to meet specific needs either though own research, or through the use of post-graduates. The majority of research conducted has involved Forest Industry- Nelson Mandela University partnerships, something which has been actively fostered and grown over the last 5 years. There is also a general recognition by the forest industry of the type of research (applied) conducted within this programme and the high level of output received (written as well as intellectual capacity: post-grads). Amongst the numerous initiatives, the creation of research links (and research associates) with forest organisations nationally and internationally has increased our research credibility and capacity. Notable research areas that have included support relate to “reduced chemical use within forestry”, “testing of non-synthetic and/or biological products for the control of pests and pathogens”, “forest certification”, “site classification”, “forest mechanisation”, “vegetation management” and “coppice management” and “remote sensing”. Listed below are specific areas within which research is currently being conducted.  

 

i. Site-related Research: 

 

a. Site Classification and Site Evaluation 

 

b. Linking tree growth parameters (plantation and indigenous) to site 

 

c. Forest hydrology (site x tree x climate interactions) 

 

d. The influence of site on selected wood properties 

 

e. The use of remote sensing to detect site-related responses in tree physiology. 

 

 

ii. Silviculture:  

 

a. Tree protection (biotic) - related to the testing of natural or alternative synthetic insecticides/fungicides for the management of insect pests (foliar and soil borne) and pathogens 

 

b. The use of remote sensing technology for detecting and quantifying baboon damage to forestry plantations 

 

c. Tree protection (abiotic) - related to slivicultural practices that assist with the mitigation of abiotic risks 

 

d. Integration of Forest Certification with silviculture 

 

e. Testing of alternative herbicides for firebreak management 

 

f. Coppice Management practices and how these relate to reduction regimes and mechanisation 

 

g. Refinement of herbicide-use (reduced and more effective rates of application) for control of woody weeds  

 

h. Financial impacts of silvicultural practices 

 

i. Rotation-end impacts of pine and eucalypt silviculture 

 

 

iii. Site x Species Interactions 

 

a. Linking alternative pine and eucalypt species/hybrids to site 

 

b. Testing coppicing ability of different eucalypts across different site productivities 

 

 

iv. Mechanised Forest Systems 

 

a. Baseline data and trends within forestry in terms of harvesting practices 

 

b. Testing of various harvesting systems on different species (eucalypts, pines and acacias) 

 

c. Linking harvesting productivity to thinning and/or felling of pulpwood (planted and coppiced) and sawtimber stands 

 

d. Testing of mechanised site preparation and planting practices for plantation re-establishment 

 

e. Integration of harvesting-regeneration-tending mechanised practices together with site-related risk mitigation practices 

 

f. Forest technology forecasting in silviculture and harvesting 

 

 

v. Wood processing  

 

a. Factors affecting the performance of the furniture manufacturing industry: study of the Southern Cape wood furniture manufacturing firms and industry. 

 

b. Testing alternative Pinus species and hybrids for the South African structural pole market 

 

 

vi. Plant flammability dynamics  

 

a. Examining plant-level fire risks 

 

b. Integration of plant traits into wildfire management models 

 

c. Mapping vegetation flammability in Wildland-Urban Interfaces 

 

 

Research initiatives and services