Even though most of the biomass of the planet is in forests, we live in a world where wood as a raw material and its products are increasingly scarce. This is particularly so in important areas such as the European Community, which is far from self-sufficient in terms of wood. In recent years the need to intensify forest production and, in some cases, to uti­ lize abandoned agricultural land for forestry has focussed world-wide attention on the economic importance of fast-growing tree plantations. These are usually managed as short "rotations" (growing cycles) of less than 15 years, often for the production of industrial raw materials or biomass for energy. Under the designation of fast-growing tree plantations, or short­ rotation silviculture, one may find ecosystems managed for different economic objectives, with different intensities of technical intervention and different levels of productivity. They may include any of a wide range of species grown under various environmental conditions. A common factor, however, is the greater possibility that exists, relative to conventional forestry, for manipulation of both the environment and the genetics of the trees.

Inhalt

Light Interception, Light use Efficiency and Assimilate Partitioning in Poplar and Willow Stands.- Water Relations and Growth of Roots and Leaves of Woody Plants.- Water Stress Limitations to tree Productivity.- Dry-Matter Partitioning and Fine-Root Production in Forests - New Approaches to a Difficult Problem.- Internal and External Cycling of Nutrients in Forest Stands.- Changes in Soil Properties under Eucalyptus Plantations in Portugal.- Optimization of Biomass Production in Eucalyptus Globulus Plantations - A case Study.- A Modular Structure for Plant Growth Simulation Models.- Quinta: A Physiologically-Based Growth Simulator for Drought Adapted Woody Plant Species.- Simulation of the role of Stress on Radiation Absorption, Assimilation, Transpiration and Water use Efficiency of Stands of Eucalyptus Globulus.- Research Priorities in Field Experiments on Fast-Growing tree Plantations: Implications of a Mathematical Production Model.- Modeling the Dependence of Forest Growth on Environmental Influences.- Improvement of Eucalypts for fuel and Fiber in California.- Strategies for the Genetic Improvement of Yield in Eucalyptus.- Rejuvenation and Clonal Silviculture for Eucalyptus and Forest Species Harvested Through Short Rotation.- Utilization Strategies for Forest Biomass from Short Rotation tree Plantations.- Solar Energy Conversion Efficiency Project.