Jagels, Richard

English

Wood and Fiber Science (E-Journal)

WOOD A N D  F I B E R  S C I E N C E  JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY OF WOOD SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AN INEXTRICABLE LINK BETWEEN TREE BIOLOGY AND WOOD SCIENCE In the January issue of Wood and Fiber Sci- ence (vol. 36, no. I),  Greg Brown and Bob Youngs provide a persuasive case for halting and, hopefully, reversing the decline of wood science and forest products utilization programs at universities. In particular, they point to the economic and environmental gains brought about by more efficient utilization and recycling of all harvested wood, including sawdust. They also provide psychological and moral links be- tween those in wood products and forest man- agement by quoting Aldo Leopold and Bernhard Fernow-two fellows whose words can cause many a forester to choke-up with pride. And fi- nally, they link, arm-in-arm, students "interested in forest management, environmental conserva- tion, wildlife, fisheries, and outdoor recreation," and ask: "Should we deprive these students of (knowledge in wood science)?" All of these arguments are cogent and defend- able, but I would argue that the linkage goes much deeper and is more compellingly critical to our collective future than is portrayed in this ed- itorial. The real problem, as I see it, is the long history of poor communication between aca- demic and practicing forest biologists and wood scientists. Each sees the other in abstract terms: "probably needed, but not well understood." Let me be specific (and apologize at the outset to those who do not fit the stereotype). Silvi- culturists dote on tree shape and spacing, sap- wood area and crown size, and other aspects related to what they think a forest should look like. But how often do they relate their activities to the quality of wood produced? Do they con- sider growth-rate and wood quality, and that quite different strategies might be needed for abrupt-transition conifers and ring-porous hard- woods? On the other side of the coin, do wood technologists try to influence forest managers- or do they more often say "Give us what you have and we will devise a technological fix" (after all, that's what keeps us employed)? Biologists interested in tree biomechanics rarely, if ever, read the literature on wood me- chanics, and wood scientists are equally ignorant of tree biomechanics. Wood scientists delve into the mysteries of wood permeability in relation to wood drying and preservation but are mostly un- aware of the voluminous literature created by tree biologists studying hydraulic conductance. I could go on and on, but will conclude this analy- sis with one small example from a recently pub- lished paper (Jagels et al. 2003. Annals qf Botany 92: 79-88). In that paper, we present the hypothesis that short-lived trees and trees with high wood den- sity are less likely to produce decay-resistant heartwood than trees with low-to-moderate den- sity. Our rationale was that Brazier buckling would be most critical in lower density, long- lived trees. Because of my background in both wood science and plant biology, I hardly hesi- tated a moment before "mining" the Wood Hand- book for data on decay resistance and plugging it into a table (in that same paper we also used other information from the Wood Handbook to discuss strength properties in living trees). \\oird <i,u/ Frhp, Sc W,I< r .  3612). ?004. pp 1 3 7  1 3 4  ii) 2OOJ h)  thc Society of Wuod Sc~rncr  and Technolog) 134 WOOD AND FIBER SCIENCE, APRIL 2004, V. 36(2) The point that I hope I am making is that we need to build stronger real linkages-in teach- ing, research, and practice-that will ensure the viability and strengthening of both wood and forest science programs. I currently teach a course entitled Functional Structure of Woody Plants (formerly known by the name Wood Anatomy). My class of upper undergraduate and graduate students over the past 17 years has been, on average, a near even split between wood science and forest biology majors (with an occasional wildlife or environmental science student). The interaction between the students often begins with guarded reserve and ends with new friendships-and hopefully a better under- standing of each other's field of interest. I am approaching retirement. What will hap- pen in the future will be decided by others. I hope that the inextricable linkage will be strengthened-not lost. RICHARD JAGELS Professor Department of Forest Ecosystem Science University of Maine Orono, ME 

An Inextricable Link Between tree Biology and Wood Science

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An Inextricable Link Between tree Biology and Wood Science

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Wood and Fiber Science (E-Journal)