Help with dissertation.

[McGowan214]

 Hi, I’m returning to university in September to complete a third year of a degree in Arboriculture and Urban tree management. One of the main components of the year is to complete a dissertation around the subject field. I undertook a project whilst I was on a work placement with the Forestry Commission to identify if there is an economically viable market for the production of hard wood timber in the Scottish Borders. The project centred around, an unmanaged woodland which contained sycamore, beech and birch. The timber which was removed from the site was sold to a local stockist who sold it for fire wood. I found that during the project there was some potential for the practical usage of timber from these woodlands in the local area however, the quality of the wood would prevent it from been used for anything more than just wood fuel.

 I was thinking of researching the usages of timber from unmanaged woodlands in an urban city environment as opposed to a rural environment with potentially a better quality of tree been managed. There is a large amount of deforestation in urban city environments with the development of new housing and I was thinking if there was a way of perhaps preserving the small wooded areas and if there is a cost effective way of making this possible? One idea could be to identify a different tree species area differing from the area I researched in Scotland where the timber could be of a better quality for example oak.  With this in mind the wood been extracted from these woodlands could be used for something different other than firewood? With it been in a city environment I was wondering if continuous cover forestry could be used to accommodate such an idea?

I was wondering if anybody, has any knowledge or background on the ideas I’ve mentioned here perhaps you could give me a better more relevant idea for a dissertation maybe based around the ideas I’ve mentioned, but not necessarily restricted to this area?

Any help and advice would be much appreciated

 

Many Thanks

 

John

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Why dont you highlight the utter nonsense of what constitutes "useable timber" from whose perspective? as a wood turner and artist ican assure you all that is defined by the "industry" as "useable timber" bortes me to  tears! do something on the disconnection between reality and big forestry. theres LOADS of smaller businesses that WANT "low grade lumber"