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Abstract Site conditions and forest management affect dendrometric parameters of chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) coppices, but there is modest knowledge on the effect of stand dendrometric characters on physical and mechanical wood characteristics. The aim of this study was to verify these relationships in chestnut coppices that were 12–14 years old. Wood density, compression and bending strength, shrinkages were measured on shoots of five different stand in a vulcanic site in Monte Amiata (Central – Italy). Investigated stands differ in number of stools/ha and dominant height, diameter/basal area of the shoots. The main difference in the physical characters among the stands is density. The initial results of the study showed that physical, mechanical wood characters are more dependent by the shoot than by the site. There is a positive relationships between the number of stools/ha and density and a negative one among shoot dominant height and basal area with wood density. Spectroscopic profile by FTIR has not showed relevant differences among the stands. Wood anatomy has showed the breakpoint at cellular level.

Wood coatings prolong the service life of wood-based products, but they are usually of synthetic origin. The aim of the present article is to reduce the fossil-based compounds in a commercial waterborne acrylic coating by CNC addition and to test its performance. The coatings were applied on European beech and Norway spruce wood in order to test durability against Gloeophyllum trabeum (brown wood rot) and Trametes versicolor (white wood rot). Artificial weathering and blue stain, contact angle, physical tests (adhesion, impact and scratch test), chemical (FTIR) and morpho-anatomical analysis (SEM) were carried out. CNC addition increased viscosity, limiting the spreading of the coating into wood pores as visible after SEM observation, which reduced coating adhesion on the substrate. CNC improved fungal resistance as seen by a reduced mass loss and FTIR spectroscopy thanks to crosslinks formation, which reduced water sorption as well. Color change was not significant, and, on the other hand, glossiness was reduced but resulted as more homogeneous than control. CNC addition gave good results also in blue stain protection. CNC improved scratch resistance, but no visible change to impact was registered. CNC has promising results in coatings depending on wood and fungal species and presence of further commercial additives (biocides).

The sudden availability of Italian stone pine (Pinus pinea L.) wood due to the infestation of pathogenic fungi and insects highlighted the need to promote its use as a short supply chain resource in Italy and other Mediterranean countries. However, the durability of stone pine sapwood must be enhanced if outdoor use is to be considered. The impregnability of stone pine wood was studied following the standard EN 351-1:2008, using immersion, vacuum, and high-pressure methods with natural waxes and organic solvent-based and copper-amino-based preservative solutions. The efficacy of the impregnation was determined by calculating the kilos of preservative absorbed per cubic meter of wood and by measuring the penetration depth of the preservative. Thermal modifications were carried out using five different maximum temperatures, and their efficacy was determined by measuring the mass loss and color change. Subsequent to thermal treatments, the wood was exposed to a water-vapor-saturated atmosphere, and the increase in mass was calculated for different periods. Stone pine and Scots pine sapwoods showed similar response to the treatments with the exception of soaking impregnation methods where stone pine showed higher uptake, in particular when Silvanolin was used. Our investigation shows that stone pine can be a suitable short supply chain resource in Italy that, when impregnated, could be tested for outdoor use, exactly as is the case with Scots pine.

The concept of “eco-innovation” has been increasingly used in environmental policy to analyze an innovation system taking into account social, ecological and economic pillars of sustainability. The aim of this study is to develop a set of eco-innovation indicators suitable to analyze the forest-wood chain at local level. The study was structured in three steps: literature review on eco-innovation indicators; defining a set of eco-innovation indicators suitable for the forestry sector; testing of eco-innovation indicators in a pilot area (Province of Trento, Italy). Eight indicators and sixteen sub-indicators suitable for the forestry sector were identified. The eco-innovation indicators were quantified using official statistics and new data collected by administering a questionnaire to 114 forest-wood chain actors. The results show an average efficiency of the timber processing and a medium-high level of enhancement of the wood residues generated by production process. Conversely, the level of collaboration between actors of forest-wood chain and institutional actors (universities, research institutes, R&D agencies) could be improved with the aim of increasing the diffusion of eco-innovation knowledge and information. The eco-innovation indicators developed by this study emphasize environmental impacts and negative externalities of innovation process in the forestry sector.

Three different formulations of bio-based polyurethane (PU), varying the weight ratio between Organosolv lignin and a commercial isocyanate, were synthesized. The coating formulations were characterized by SEM, pyrolysis-GC/MS, FTIR spectroscopy and FTIR mapping, which confirmed the successful formation of urethane bonds between commercial isocyanate and hydroxyl groups deriving from lignin. The coatings were applied on beech wood samples to measure color and contact angles, and eventually FTIR mapping of the coated wood samples was performed. FTIR mapping is an interesting tool to monitor the distribution of PU chemical bonds on the coating surface and to evaluate the homogeneity of the applied coating films. Increasing the lignin content of the PU coatings results in more red-yellow and darker tones, while the commercial PU coating is transparent. For a higher lignin concentration, the solid content as well as the weight gain of the applied coatings increase. A higher percentage of lignin in the prepared PU formulations leads to superficial cracks and therefore higher coating permeability compared to the commercial PU, but the prepared lignin-based PU coating still makes a raw wood surface significantly more hydrophobic. Apparently, additives such as film-formers with low surface tension to counteract cracks’ formation are necessary to improve the performance of lignin-based PU coatings.