Our Sustainable Forest Management course kicked off in December with an open air lecture from Dr. Arbol. This explorative walk through the Valldaura forest helped us to better observe and understand how the ecosystem forest functions. We also learned how to identify the existing tree species and their way of growing in the context of the Collserola Park in which Valldaura Labs is located. [Click here to peek into Dr. Arbol’s session.]
Equipped with the knowledge of the forest walk and further introductions to Sustainable Forest Management we formed smaller teams and started to analyze the existing tree stock and choose, based on certain criteria, which trees could be harvested. Not seldom, discussions arose comparing certain trees to their neighbours, both in close proximity and on a broader scale. Detailed notes and pictures were taken for each selected tree to document the dimensions, canopy, and elevation. Very important was the collection of location data in order to later trace the processed wood back to the individual tree.
Finally, we collaborated for two days with a group of local lumberjacks to cut the trees, properly tag them and bring them to Valldaura. For each tree, a unique color coding was chosen and spraypainted on the cross-section again to ensure the tracebility after processing. The timber processing started with preparing the trunks for the sawmill by cleaning them of mud and stones with a pressure washer. In a next step we positioned them on the sawmill to achieve a balance between getting the optimum shape and the most amount of timber from each log. The logs were then sliced into boards of 3.5 cm and stacked on level racks where they now begin drying.
