Analysing wood density and biomass: a case study of forest plantations from Moldova Noua waste heaps, Romania

Abstract

The present paper emphasizes the possibility of using wood from the plantations installed on waste heaps by analysing the density of wood mass and establishing the biomass of species planted on the waste heaps from Moldova Noua. In order to determine wood biomass for the analysed species, wood samples were gathered from a specific sample area. As such, their volume and mass were established both before and after drying them in a stove at a temperature of 105 degrees Celsius for 24 hours. The plantations biomass was calculated by using wood density according to the work method previously described as well as the wood mass volume per hectare. The last element was determined after biometric measurements realized in 12 sample surfaces of 100 square meters each, arranged in four variants with three recursions. In the specific case of Moldova Noua waste heaps, the values obtained for wood density attest the high-quality wood of these plantations from the point of view of their density, in comparison with the wood from similar species grown under favourable vegetation conditions. Furthermore, analysing the productivity of plantations installed on the waste heaps from Moldova Noua, attest the framing of these plantations in an inferior production class from a productive point of view. The papers conclusions discuss the obtained results in the context of data from specialty literature concerning the productivity and wood density of forest plantations from the waste heaps located in Moldova Noua.