Influence of site factors and climate on timber properties of Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr.)

In plantation grown Sitka spruce, timber density is an important quality concern. Currently Sitka spruce timber meets the requirements for C16 strength grading which is the minimum requirement for construction uses. However, the margin is not exceeded by much and a small reduction in density could lower the log grading. Therefore it is essential to understand how timber density is impacted by site factors and climate in order to predict the potential effects of climate change on timber quality in Sitka spruce in the future. This has important economic implications for UK forestry. To assess the influence of site factors and climate on growth and resulting timber properties in Sitka spruce, three experiments were established; a large scale wood quality survey (“The Benchmarking experiment”), a detailed inter-site density study (“The Level II experiment”) and a continuous growth monitoring experiment (Dendrometer experiment). In the ‘Benchmarking’ experiment, increment cores were collected from 68 sites over a geographically wide area in Scotland and Northern England in order to quantify the effect of selected site factors on density. These samples were not suited for climate analysis at annual ring level and therefore disks that allowed reliable dating of the tree rings were collected from three Level II sites. The Level II samples were also used in an acoustic velocity study and an assessment of the within-tree patterns in density. Material from both Benchmarking and Level II sites was used for modelling radial density. In addition to this the Level II data functioned as a test dataset for the different density models that were developed on the Benchmarking data. Density and other tree ring variables were measured with an ITRAX X-ray densitometer and WinDENDRO software. Some acoustic measurements were also carried out with a purpose built ultrasonic scanner to allow calculation of radial variation in stiffness. A dendrometer experiment was established to monitor short term growth variation in Sitka spruce in real time. The aim was also to use the growth data to date density profiles and hence identify causes for the density differences. Data analysis was carried out in R mainly using linear and non-linear mixed effects models, the dendrochronology software package dplR and methods of time series analysis. It was found that the largest part of the variation in density was between trees within each site. Both density and stiffness were mostly influenced by the growth rate or by another variable describing the tree vigour. Fast growth decreased density both by increasing earlywood proportion as well as decreasing the density of both earlywood and latewood. Models for the radial behaviour of density and stiffness could be fitted to the data, but random tree effects remained large. This limits the applicability of these models to new sites as reparameterisation would be required, which requires data from time consuming density and acoustic velocity measurements. The possibility of modelling the model coefficients from easily measurable stand and tree variables was investigated but the results were not promising. The Dendrometer experiment indicated that annual growth in Sitka spruce was initiated in late May and terminated by mid September. Ring widths detected by the dendrometers, micro core measurements and X-ray density based tree ring analysis differed, which caused difficulties in dating the density profile. To decrease these problems in the future the microcore sample storage protocol was revised. The dendrometer data indicated that the growing season was divided into several sections between which the growth rate differed. Latewood density and maximum density had the strongest correlations with the climatic variables. At one site the correlations included temperature and rainfall in April whereas at the other precipitation throughout the growing season or during the May-August period were important. Temperature was correlated positively with density variables and rainfall negatively

Old carbon contributes to aquatic emissions of carbon dioxide in the Amazon

Knowing the rate at which carbon is cycled is crucial to understanding the dynamics of carbon transfer pathways. Recent technical developments now support measurement of the <sup>14</sup>C age of evaded CO<sub>2</sub> from fluvial systems, which provides an important "fingerprint" of the source of C. Here we report the first direct measurements of the <sup>14</sup>C age of effluxed CO<sub>2</sub> from two small streams and two rivers within the western Amazonian Basin. The rate of degassing and hydrochemical controls on degassing are also considered. We observe that CO<sub>2</sub> efflux from all systems except for the seasonal small stream was <sup>14</sup>C -depleted relative to the contemporary atmosphere, indicating a contribution from "old" carbon fixed before ~ 1955 AD. Further, "old" CO<sub>2</sub> was effluxed from the perennial stream in the rainforest; this was unexpected as here connectivity with the contemporary C cycle is likely greatest. The effluxed gas represents all sources of CO<sub>2</sub> in the aquatic system and thus we used end-member analysis to identify the relative inputs of fossil, modern and intermediately aged C. The most likely solutions indicated a contribution from fossil carbon sources of between 3 and 9% which we interpret as being derived from carbonate weathering. This is significant as the currently observed intensification of weather has the potential to increase the future release of old carbon, which can be subsequently degassed to the atmosphere, and so renders older, slower C cycles faster. Thus <sup>14</sup>C fingerprinting of evaded CO<sub>2</sub> provides understanding which is essential to more accurately model the carbon cycle in the Amazon Basin

Hydraulics are a first order control on CO2 efflux from fluvial systems

Evasion of carbon dioxide (CO2) from fluvial systems is now recognized as a significant component of the global carbon cycle. However the magnitude of, and controls on, this flux remain uncertain and improved understanding of both are required to refine global estimates of fluvial CO2 efflux. CO2 efflux data show no pattern with latitude suggesting that catchment biological productivity is not a primary control and that an alternative explanation for inter-site variability is required. It has been suggested that increased flow velocity and turbulence enhance CO2 efflux, but this is not confirmed. Here, using contemporaneous measurements of efflux (range: 0.07 – 107 µmol CO2 m-2 s-1), flow hydraulics (mean velocity range: 0.03 – 1.39 m s-1) and pCO2 (range: 174 – 10712 µatm) at six sites, we find that flow intensity is a primary control on efflux across two climatically different locations (where pH is not a limiting factor) and that the relationship is refined by incorporating the partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2) of the water. A remaining challenge is how to upscale from point to reach or river basin level. Remote imaging or river surface may be worth exploring if subjectivity in interpreting surface state can be overcome

Toimintatutkimus: Kiilaprofiilituotannon toimintaedellytysten varmistaminen teknologioiden kehittymisen mahdollistamassa noususuhdanteessa

Opinnäytetyön tarkoituksena oli varmistaa Luvata Pori Oy:n kiilaprofiilituotannon toimintaedellytykset teknologioiden kehittymisen mahdollistamassa noususuhdanteessa. Opinnäytetyö tehtiin osana lean-pohjaista LPS-prosessia. Prosessilla pyritään vähentämään hukkaa ja tasoittamaan työkuormaa sekä vakioimaan toimintatapoja. LPS-tuotantojärjestelmä on Luvata Special Productsin kehittämä lean-pohjainen järjestelmä, joka pohjautuu Toyotan TPS-järjestelmään. Tutkimuksessa selvitettiin, kuinka voidaan käyttää järkevästi eri tuotantoprosesseja niin, että tyhjäkäyntiä ei tule ja vältetään suuret välivarastot, joihin on sitoutunut pääomaa raaka-aineena ja työnä. Opinnäytetyössä käytettiin tutkimusmetodina toimintatutkimusta, joka on peruspilarina myöskin LPS-prosesseissa. Toimintatutkimus on pääosin laadullisen tutkimuksen suuntaus, jonka avulla pyritään kehittämään kohteena olevaa organisaatiota vaikuttamalla sen toimintatapoihin. Toimintatutkimuksessa tutkija osallistuu organisaation toimintaan ja on mukana arjessa. Taustaltaan toimintatutkimus on yhteiskunta- ja suunnittelutieteellistä, mutta sitä sovelletaan laajalti myös kasvatustieteellisissä yhteyksissä. Opinnäytetyössä käsitellään toimintatutkimuksen metodein kiilaprofiilituotannon tieto- ja materiaalivirtoja sekä hyödynnettiin nykytila-analyysistä saatuja tietoja, jotka lean-periaatteiden mukaisesti jalostettiin tavoitetilaksi. Tutkimustuloksien avulla löydettiin selviä kapeikkoja niin materiaali- kuin tietovirroista. Analyysin jälkeen päästiin pureutumaan odotusajoista aiheutuvaan tyhjäkäyntiin, joka synnyttää henkilöresurssien ja konekapasiteetin hukkaa sekä prosessivarastoihin, jotka sitovat tarpeettomasti pääomaa. Tulokseksi saatiin uusi lay-out, uusi materiaalivirta sekä yksinkertaistettu tietovirta. Tarkoituksena on ottaa uusi malli käyttöön ohjatusti ja käyttökokemusten jälkeen kehittää edelleen sen eri osa-alueita hallitusti.The purpose of this thesis was to ensure the operational preconditions for Luvata Pori Oy's EMC-profiles production in the upswing allowed by the development of technologies. This thesis was made as part of the lean-based LPS process. The process seeks to reduce waste and to standardize operating practices. The LPS production system is a lean-based system developed by Luvata Special Products, based on Toyota's TPS system. The study explored how to use rationally different production processes so that there is no idle and avoid large intermediate stocks that are committed to capital as raw material and work. In this thesis action research was used as a research method, which is base of LPS processes. The action research is mainly oriented towards qualitative research aimed at developing the target organization by influencing its practices. In an action research, the researcher participates in the organization's activities and is involved in everyday life. The action research is based on social sciences and engineering science, but is widely applied also in educational sciences. The thesis deals with value stream of the EMC-profiles of the action research methods and utilized the data from the current state analysis, which, according to the lean principles, was processed into the target state. The results of this research revealed clear clusters of material and data flows. After the analysis, it was possible to cope with the idle due to waiting times, which creates a waste of capacity, as well as process stores that unnecessarily tie up capital. The result was a new lay-out, a new material stream and a simplified data stream. The intention is to introduce the new model and after the user experience, it will further develop its various aspects in a controlled way

Kansainvälistyvän pk-yrityksen venture capital -rahoitus ja sen tuoma lisäarvo

Siirretty Doriast

Suomen raideliikenteen ekotehokkuus MIPS-laskentaa hyödyntäen

Perinteisesti ympäristönsuojelussa on kiinnitetty huomiota lähinnä myrkyllisiin yhdisteisiin. Suuret sinällään vaarattomien aineiden materiaalivirrat ovat jääneet huomiotta. Schmidt-Bleek (2002) korostaa näiden materiaalivirtojen merkitystä ja nostaa tavoitteeksi tuotteiden ja palveluiden dematerialisoinnin. Tuotteiden ja palveluiden materiaalienkulutusta mittaamaan on kehitetty Wuppertal-instituutissa MIPS-mittari. MIPS tulee sanoista material input per service-unit eli materiaalipanos palvelusuoritetta kohti. Kuljetuksien materiaalienkulutusta on tutkittu Suomen oloissa vähän ja maailmallakin vain rajoitetusti. Tämän vuoksi kuljetuksien materiaalien kulutusta tutkimaan perustettiin FIN-MIPS-Liikenne -hanke, jonka tarkoituksena on verrata keskenään eri kuljetusmuotoja. Tämän osatutkimuksen tarkoituksena on selvittää raideliikenteen materiaalienkulutus MIPS-laskentamenetelmän avulla. Tarkastelun kohteina olivat Kouvola–Pieksämäki-rata ja rakenteilla oleva Kerava–Lahti-oikorata. Kouvola–Pieksämäki-rata on vanha yksiraiteinen rataosuus, joita on runsaasti Suomen rataverkolla. Kerava–Lahti-oikorata taas edustaa modernia ratarakentamista. Rataosuuksilta poimittiin erilaisia ratatyyppejä: normaalirakenne, kallioleikkaus, silta ja tunneli. Näiden materiaalinkulutus tutkittiin, jotta saataisiin kuva siitä, mitkä rakenteet ovat olennaisia ratainfrastruktuurin materiaalipanoksessa. Myös kaluston materiaalipanos tutkittiin. Tämän lisäksi rataosuuksia tarkasteltiin tapaustutkimuksina. Tällöin tutkittiin myös ratapihojen, varikoiden, konepajojen, asemien, tehtaiden ja radanpidon vaikutus raideliikenteen materiaalipanokseen. Palvelusuoritteena oli henkilö- ja tonnikilometrit, joita tarkasteltiin kolmella erilaisella liikennetasolla. MIPS-luvut laskettiin neljässä eri kategoriassa: abioottiset luonnonvarat, bioottiset luonnonvarat, vesi ja ilma. Bioottiset materiaalipanokset olivat kuitenkin hyvin pieniä ja liittyivät ainoastaan muutamaan kulutettuun aineeseen. Abioottisen materiaalipanoksen muodostumisen kannalta olennaisimpia olivat maarakennustoimenpiteet. Veden kulutus taas koostui suurimmaksi osaksi pois paikoiltaan siirretystä sadevedestä. Ilman kulutuksen muodostumisessa keskeinen merkitys oli sähkönkulutuksella ja rakenteilla, joissa käytettiin runsaasti betonia. Kouvola-Pieksämäki radan materiaalipanos oli kaikissa kategorioissa Kerava-Lahti oikoradan materiaalipanosta alhaisempi, koska Kouvola-Pieksämäki rata on yksiraiteinen ja maarakennustoimenpiteiltään yksinkertaisempi. Kaluston osuus MIPS-luvusta oli alhaisin abioottisessa kategoriassa. Vesi-MIPS-lukuun ja erityisesti ilma-MIPS-lukuun kalusto vaikutti huomattavasti. Kaluston merkitys kasvoi liikenteen vilkastuessa

Fluvial carbon export from a lowland Amazonian rainforest in relation to atmospheric fluxes

We constructed a whole carbon budget for a catchment in the Western Amazon Basin, combining drainage water analyses with eddy covariance measured terrestrial CO2 fluxes. As fluvial C export can represent permanent C export it must be included in assessments of whole site C balance, but is rarely done. The footprint area of the flux tower is drained by two small streams (~5-7 km2) from which we measured the dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), particulate organic carbon (POC) export and CO2 efflux. The EC measurements showed the site C balance to be +0.7 ± 9.7 Mg C ha-1 yr-1 (a source to the atmosphere) and fluvial export was 0.3 ± 0.04 Mg C ha-1 yr-1. Of the total fluvial loss 34% was DIC, 37% DOC and 29% POC. The wet season was most important for fluvial C export. There was a large uncertainty associated with the EC results and with previous biomass plot studies (-0.5 ± 4.1 Mg C ha-1 yr-1), hence it cannot be concluded with certainty whether the site is C sink or source. The fluvial export corresponds to only 3-7 % of the uncertainty related to the site C balance, thus other factors need to be considered to reduce the uncertainty and refine the estimated C balance. However, stream C export is significant, especially for almost neutral sites where fluvial loss may determine the direction of the site C balance. The fate of C downstream then dictates the overall climate impact of fluvial export

Aquatic export of young dissolved and gaseous carbon from a pristine boreal fen: Implications for peat carbon stock stability

The stability of northern peatland's carbon (C) store under changing climate is of major concern for the global C cycle. The aquatic export of C from boreal peatlands is recognized as both a critical pathway for the remobilization of peat C stocks as well as a major component of the net ecosystem C balance (NECB). Here, we present a full year characterization of radiocarbon content (14C) of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), carbon dioxide (CO2), and methane (CH4) exported from a boreal peatland catchment coupled with 14C characterization of the catchment's peat profile of the same C species. The age of aquatic C in runoff varied little throughout the year and appeared to be sustained by recently fixed C from the atmosphere (<60 years), despite stream DOC, CO2, and CH4 primarily being sourced from deep peat horizons (2–4 m) near the mire's outlet. In fact, the 14C content of DOC, CO2, and CH4 across the entire peat profile was considerably enriched with postbomb C compared with the solid peat material. Overall, our results demonstrate little to no mobilization of ancient C stocks from this boreal peatland and a relatively large resilience of the source of aquatic C export to forecasted hydroclimatic changes

C mobilisation in disturbed tropical peat swamps: old DOC can fuel the fluvial efflux of old carbon dioxide, but site recovery can occur

Southeast-Asian peat swamp forests have been significantly logged and converted to plantation. Recently, to mitigate land degradation and C losses, some areas have been left to regenerate. Understanding how such complex land use change affects greenhouse gas emissions is essential for modelling climate feedbacks and supporting land management decisions. We carried out field research in a Malaysian swamp forest and an oil palm plantation to understand how clear-felling, drainage, and illegal and authorized conversion to oil palm impacted the C cycle, and how the C cycle may change if such logging and conversion stopped. We found that both the swamp forest and the plantation emit centuries-old CO2 from their drainage systems in the managed areas, releasing sequestered C to the atmosphere. Oil palm plantations are an iconic symbol of tropical peatland degradation, but CO2 efflux from the recently-burnt, cleared swamp forest was as old as from the oil palm plantation. However, in the swamp forest site, where logging had ceased approximately 30 years ago, the age of the CO2 efflux was modern, indicating recovery of the system can occur. 14C dating of the C pool acted as a tracer of recovery as well as degradation and offers a new tool to assess efficacy of restoration management. Methane was present in many sites, and in higher concentrations in slow-flowing anoxic systems as degassing mechanisms are not strong. Methane loading in freshwaters is rarely considered, but this may be an important C pool in restored drainage channels and should be considered in C budgets and losses

Kohti älykästä automaatiota : Tekoälyn käyttöönotto taloushallinnon prosessiautomaatiossa

Tämän opinnäytetyön tarkoituksena oli selvittää tekoälyteknologian taloushallinnon automaatioon käyttöönotossa huomioitavia tekijöitä. Tavoitteena oli tuoda esille yleisiä hyviä toimintatapoja käyttöönottoon, tutustumalla tekoälyyn, taloushallintoon ja taloushallinnon prosessiautomaatioon. Työssä oli tarkoituksena selvittää käyttöönottoon valmistautumisessa, sen käytännön toteutuksessa, ja sen jälkeen huomioitavia seikkoja. Työn teoreettisena viitekehyksenä oli tekoälytutkimus ja taloushallintoa ja laskentatoimea käsittelevä aineisto. Opinnäytetyö toteutettiin perehtymällä tekoälyä ja taloushallintoa käsitteleviin kirjallisiin lähteisiin. Lisäksi tutustuttiin konkreettiseen esimerkkiin tekoälyn käytöstä taloushallinnon automaatiossa haastattelemalla toimeksiantajayrityksen asiantuntijaa. Työssä käsiteltiin tekoälyä ja digitaalista taloushallintoa erillisinä kokonaisuuksina sekä yleisesti tekoälyn käyttöä taloushallinnon automaatiossa. Lopussa selvitettiin käyttöönottoprosessin osat ja pohdittiin niitä taloushallinnon näkökulmasta. Työssä tultiin siihen johtopäätökseen, että tekoälyn käyttöönotto taloushallinnon automaatiossa edellyttää digitaalista taloushallintoa ja toimivia prosesseja. Ehdottomia edellytyksiä onnistuneelle käyttöönotolle ovat myös riittävä ja laadukas data sekä datan hallinta. Käyttöönottoa tukee myös oikeanalainen projektitiimi, henkilökunnan kouluttaminen ja kokeileva työilmapiiri. Lisäksi käyttöönotto kannattaisi aina tehdä osissa, jolloin tekoälysovellusta voidaan ensin pilotoida vain osalla käyttäjistä