Objective TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF PLANT SPACING DURING THE GROWTH OF STANDS OF SPRUCE FOR ITS EFFECT ON WOOD YIELD AND STRUCTURAL WOOD QUALITY. THIS STUDY IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP A TECHNIQUE FOR CHARACTERISING COMPETITION BETWEEN TREES AND TO ESTABLISH GUIDELINES FOR THINNING SO THAT SITKA SPRUCE PRODUCES ACCEPTABLE TIMBER FOR STRUCTURAL USE. VALIDATION OF THE RESULTS OBTAINED WILL BE SOUGHT BY APPLYING THE PRINCIPLES DEVELOPED TO STANDS SUBJECTED TO OTHER FORMS OF THINNING AND FOR WHICH THE CROP HISTORY IS KNOWN. USING ALL THE TREES FROM THE CONVENTIONALLY THINNED PLOT, THE WORK WILL SEEK TO: 1. ESTABLISH A COMPETITION QUOTIENT FOR INDIVIDUAL TREES. 2. EXAMINE THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN SPACE AVAILABLE AND THE GROWTH RESPONSE WITHIN THE STEM AT SUCCESSIVE INCREMENTS OF GROWTH. 3. ESTABLISH WHETHER THERE IS A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COMPETITION QUOTIENT AT SUCCESSIVE PERIODS IN THE GROWTH OF A TREE AND THE STRUCTURAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE WOOD PRODUCED UP TO OR DURING THAT PERIOD OF GROWTH. 4. EXAMINE THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN STRUCTURAL PERFORMANCE AND GROWTH FEATURES OF WOOD KNOWN TO AFFECT STRENGHT AND STABILITY, SUCH AS THOSE AFFECTING GRAIN ALIGNMENT (KNOT SIZE AND NUMBER, INHERENT SPIRALITY, STEM FORM, ETC), AMOUNT OF JUVENILE WOOD, WOOD DENSITY, ETC. Fields of science humanitieshistory and archaeologyhistoryagricultural sciencesagriculture, forestry, and fisheriesagriculturegrains and oilseedsagricultural sciencesagriculture, forestry, and fisheriesforestry Programme(s) FP1-RAWMAT 3C - Research programme (EEC) on materials (raw materials and advanced materials), 1986-1989 Topic(s) Data not available Call for proposal Data not available Funding Scheme CSC - Cost-sharing contracts Coordinator Building Research Establishment (BRE) EU contribution No data Address Bucknall's Lane Garston WD2 7JR Watford United Kingdom See on map Total cost No data Participants (3) Sort alphabetically Sort by EU Contribution Expand all Collapse all IIRS Ireland EU contribution No data Address See on map Total cost No data ROYAL VETERINARY & AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY Denmark EU contribution No data Address KOEBENHAVN See on map Total cost No data UNIVERSITY OF WALES - BANGOR United Kingdom EU contribution No data Address College Road, Finance Office LL57 2DG BANGOR (GWYNEDD) See on map Total cost No data