Environmental historians usually discuss American colonists as if they were all the same. Thus, the Puritan communities that grew rapidly after John Winthrop's arrival in 1630 often overshadow the earlier Separatist colony at Plymouth, which leads to the assumption that all settlers acted in similar ways with regard to land use and the environment. By analyzing Bradford and Winthrop, it becomes possible to see a different picture of colonization in New England. It becomes evident that deforestation happened over time, and in spite of early resistance. It is also clear that colonial settlers viewed resources in different ways. The authorities strictly regulated land use and ownership, but there were fewer restrictions on exportable resources like fur and later timber. Population change and the growth of a proto-capitalist market in the post-1630 Puritan communities as well as a gradual shift from communalism to individualism led to deforestation in New England.

O trabalho tem por objetivo o estudo teórico e experimental de pontes protendidas de madeira para pequenos vãos utilizando madeiras de reflorestamento. Para esta finalidade foram avaliados os parâmetros elásticos destas madeiras e o efeito da presença de juntas de topo na rigidez longitudinal do tabuleiro da ponte. A metodologia utilizada para obter os parâmetros elásticos é a experimentação em laboratório de placas ortotrópicas submetidas à torção. Os efeitos das juntas de topo foi verificado em ensaio de modelo reduzido e comparado a uma simulação numérica em computador utilizando o programa AnSYS 5.2 de elementos finitos, módulo Shell, com propriedades ortotrópicas. Finalmente é proposto um critério de dimensionamento para estas estruturas a partir dos resultados experimentais obtidos e de disposições de códigos internacionais. / The aim of this work is the theoretical and experimental study of prestressed timber bridges to small spans using reforestation species. To this purpose elastics characteristics are analysed as well the butt joint effects on timber deck stiffeness. The experimental methodology was used to find the elastics characteristics is torsional tests in orthotropic plates. The butt joints effects was made in a reduced model and the results compared with a computer numerical analysis using the software AnSYS 5.2, shell module, with ortotropic characteristics. Finally, a design criteria was proposed to these structures using the experimental results obtained and the international codes recomendations.

A timber-concrete composite (TCC) combines timber and concrete, utilising the complementary properties of each material. The composite is designed in such a way that the timber resists combined tension and bending, whilst the concrete resists combined compression and bending. This construction technique can be used either in new build construction, or in refurbishment, for upgrading existing timber structures. Its use is most prolific in continental Europe, Australasia, and the United States of America but has yet to be widely used in the United Kingdom. To date, the topping upgrades used have been 40mm thick or greater. Depending on the choice of shear connection, this can lead to a four-fold increase in strength and stiffness of the floor. However, in many practical refurbishment situations, such a large increase in stiffness is not required, therefore a thinner topping can suffice. The overarching aim of this study has been to develop a thin (20mm) topping timber-concrete composite upgrade with a view to improving the serviceability performance of existing timber floors. Particular emphasis was given to developing an understanding of how the upgrade changes the stiffness and transient vibration response of a timber floor. Initially, an analytical study was carried out to define an appropriate topping thickness. An experimental testing programme was then completed to: characterise suitable shear connectors under static and cyclic loads, assess the benefit of the upgrade to the short-term bending performance of panels and floors, and evaluate the influence of the upgrade on the transient vibration response of a floor. For refurbishing timber floors, a 20mm thick topping sufficiently increased the bending stiffness and improved the transient vibration response. The stiffness of the screw connectors was influenced by the thickness of the topping and the inclination of the screws. During the short-term bending tests, the gamma method provided a non-conservative prediction of composite bending stiffness. In the majority of cases the modal frequencies of the floors tested increased after upgrade, whilst the damping ratios decreased. The upgrade system was shown to be robust as cracking of the topping did not influence the short-term bending performance of panels. Thin topping TCC upgrades offer a practical and effective solution to building practitioners, for improving the serviceability performance of existing timber floors.

The world is facing increasing pressures to reduce the amount of energy and resources that are being used. The UK government has targets to reduce carbon emissions and energy usage. Within the UK buildings are a significant contributor towards both energy and material usage. One approach to reduce the energy and carbon emissions from construction is to use natural materials that require minimal processing and energy input such as straw, timber, unfired earth and hemp-lime. Hemp-lime is a composite solid wall insulating material made from hemp shiv and a lime based binder and water which can be cast between shutters or spray applied. Hemp-lime is typically used with a load bearing timber studwork frame. Current design practice assumes that hemp-lime is a nonstructural material and only provides the insulation to the wall construction. However, as it encapsulates the studs it has to potential to enhance their load capacity by preventing buckling and resisting in-plane forces. This study aimed to establish the contribution of the hemp-lime to the structural performance of composite hemp-lime and studwork frame walls under three loading conditions; vertical compression, in-plane racking and out-of-plane bending. Both theoretical analysis and experimental testing were undertaken in order to establish the contribution. Tradical HF hemp shiv and Tradical HB binder were used to mix hemplime with a density of 275kg/m3. The wall constructions were initially theoretically analysed using existing approaches and both the stiffness and strength of the wall panels were calculated. Experimental testing was undertaken on 24 full size wall panels. Fifteen were tested with compressive loads, five with in-plane racking loads and four with out-of-plane bending loads. Initially two walls were tested with a concentric compressive load applied to the top of the encapsulated timber studs. The studs were shown to be restrained by the hemp-lime preventing buckling and increasing the failure load by over 500%. Four walls were tested with eccentrically applied compressive loads to investigate bursting of the studs through the hemp-lime surface. On three walls the studs burst through the hemp-lime showing that bursting is dependent upon the hemp-lime cover over the studs. In addition unrestrained studs were tested and shown to buckle at much lower loads than the hemp-lime lime encapsulated studs. Under in-plane racking loads two walls were initially tested and found to have increased stiffness and strength over an unrestrained studwork frame. The leading stud joints were found to be a weak point. These joints were improved and two further walls were tested, one with a sheathing board attached to the studwork frame and one without. The strengthened joints were found to improve the stiffness and strength of the wall panels. The wall panel with sheathing was also found to have a higher stiffness than the unsheathed walls. Two walls were initially tested with applied out-of-plane loads. One wall was hemplime with rendered surfaces and the other included a studwork frame. The studwork frame was found to provide continued load capacity once the render and the hemp-lime had failed. Two further wall panels were tested with a sheathing board attached to the studwork frame and render on the other face of the hemp-lime. Again the studwork frames were found to provide post crack load capacity. The walls were also found to perform with differing stiffness according to the load direction. Following experimental testing the theoretical results were compared with the experimental results. Generally good correlation is seen between the results. Prior to the experimental testing it was not possible to predict the bursting of the hemp-lime when the studs were loaded in compression, however following testing a technique was developed to allow this prediction to be made. In conclusion this study has shown that hemp-lime does enhance the load capacity of studwork framing under both compressive and in-plane racking loads. Under out-ofplane bending loads the studwork frame allows continued load capacity after the hemplime and render have cracked. This study has shown that material savings can be made when using this type of construction as a sheathing board is not necessary as the hemplime can fulfil its structural function. This will contribute towards a more efficient construction system and reduced energy and resource use.

The move towards performance-based design of the fire resistance of structures requires more accurate design methods. An important variable in the fire performance of timber structures is the in-depth temperature distribution, as wood is weakened by an increase of temperature, caused by exposure to high heat fluxes. A proper prediction of temperature profiles in wood structural elements has become an essential part of timber structural design. Current design methods use empirically determined equations for the temperature distribution but these assume constant charring rates, do not account for changes in the heating conditions, and were obtained under poorly defined boundary conditions in fire resistance furnaces. As part of this research project, a series of experimental in-depth temperature measurements were done in wood samples exposed to various intensities of radiant heat fluxes, with clearly defined boundary conditions that allow a proper input for pyrolysis models. The imposed heat fluxes range from 10 kW/cm 2, which generates an almost inert behaviour, to 60 kW/cm 2, where spontaneous flaming is almost immediately observed. Mass loss measurements for all the imposed heat fluxes were also performed. The second part of this project dealt with the modelling of the pyrolysis process, with an emphasis placed on temperature prediction. The main objective was to identify the simplest model that can accurately predict temperature distributions in wood elements exposed to fires. For this, an analysis of the different terms which have been included by several models in the energy equation has been done, by quantifying its magnitude. Five models with different degrees of simplification have been developed. Comparison with the experimental data has shown that a simple and accurate model of temperature profiles must include the rise in the solid sensible heat, the heat transferred by conduction, the heat of moisture evaporation, the heat of pyrolysis reaction and the effect of char oxidation.

Eucalyptus pellita is a commercially important plantation hardwood species for the humid tropics of north Queensland. This species is favoured by both small-scale growers for use in mixed species woodlots targeting low-volume high-value sawn timber, and also by industrial forest companies growing monocultures for integrated pulp – sawn timber regimes. This study investigated whether mixed-species designs can increase the growth of this tropical eucalypt when compared to monocultures.A replacement series experiment with monocultures of Eucalyptus pellita (E) and Acacia peregrina (A) and mixtures in various proportions (75E:25A, 50E:50A, 25E:75A) was used to examine questions about growth and productivity. The trial was located on the Atherton Tablelands of north Queensland, Australia. High mortality in the establishment phase due to repeated damage by tropical cyclones altered the trial design. Effects of experimental designs on tree growth were estimated using a linear mixed effects model with restricted maximum likelihood analysis (REML). Volume growth of individual eucalypt trees were positively affected by the presence of acacia trees at age five years and this effect generally increased with time up to age 10 years. However, the stand volume and basal area increased with increasing proportions of E. pellita, due to its larger individual tree size. Conventional analysis did not offer convincing support for mixed-species designs. Preliminary individual-based modelling using a modified Hegyi competition index offered a solution and an equation that indicates acacias have positive ecological interactions (facilitation or competitive reduction), and definitely do not cause competition like E. pellita. These results suggest that significantly increased growth rates could be achieved with mixed-species designs over E. pellita monocultures. This statistical methodology could enable a better 4 understanding of species interactions in similarly altered experiments, or undesigned mixed-species plantations.The effects of trees on soils are highly variable and highly site and species specific. That trees can change soil chemistry over time is well established. The soil chemical properties under the eucalypt: acacia experiment were compared to several potential baseline data sources: the reference description of this soil type; those measured at 7 months after planting; and with those of soils under two adjacent vegetation types (forest and pasture) when the experiment was aged 9 years. At 9 years after planting soil total nitrogen increased with increasing proportion of acacias in the treatment. The mean total N under the acacia monoculture was significantly higher (P = 0.041) than that of either the eucalypt monoculture, or the surrounding pasture. The proportion of acacia in the treatment was positively linearly correlated with soil total N (r2 = 0.46; P = 0.018). Soils under the eucalypt monocultures were more similar to those under pasture for a range of soil chemical properties, compared with soils under treatments containing acacias. Results from this site show that the two species alter the soil chemistry in different ways. It is possible that the increased total N under the acacias could be facilitating the growth of the E. pellita, however without n-fixation analysis or tissue sampling it is not possible to confirm that the eucalypt is using the N. Similar cause and effect (or ‘supply and use’) questions also remain for soil pH and available phosphorus changes with increasing acacia in treatment. This study also demonstrates the difficulty in monitoring changes in soil properties over long cycles of forest plantations.The photosynthetic response to light was assessed in the stratified canopy of the mixed species field trial of the eucalypt: acacia experiment, and among commonly planted taxa of E. pellita in glasshouse pot trials. In the field trial photosynthetic capacity of fully5 expanded sun and shade leaves of both species was measured. E. pellita has a wide natural distribution with considerable variation in morphology and growth within the species, with several provenances commonly planted in north Queensland. Photosynthetic capacity and leaf nutrient content of three of these taxa (two from northern occurrences and one from southern occurrences of E. pellita) were measured on two occasions in glasshouse pot trials. A non rectangular hyperbolic function was used to describe the light response curves, and analysis of variance was used to determine differences in the biologically relevant curve parameters between treatments. In the field trial sun and shade leaves of E. pellita produced similar light saturated photosynthetic rates, and experienced little competition for light from the acacia crowns. In contrast there was significant variation in the photosynthetic response between acacia sun and shade leaves. In the glasshouse trials, differences in leaf and petiole morphology were observed, which were coupled with differences in leaf nutrient content and highly significant variation in light saturated photosynthetic rate between the three taxa. This study characterised the light response of E. pellita and suggests that differences in physiological responses to resource availability should be expected among taxa within this species, which may be important for forest productivity models which endeavour to predict tree growth and resource use.An empirical model of growth of E. pellita from a designed monocultures vs. mixedspecies experiment has been used to explore system behaviour rather than predict production of this species from specific forests. This approach has allowed examination of the effect of plantation design on competition, soil nutrient pool change with time and physiological responses to light; leading to a greater understanding of why mixtures can lead to greater productivity than monocultures.

Masters Research - Master of Philosophy / This exegesis is a supportive document to the Sculptural Installation works produced in response to a visual exploration of the tall timber forests of northern NSW. Personal lived experience of the forest environment underpins this investigation and adds to the final presentation of the creative works of art. This particular landscape in the valley of Tanban, Eungai Creek in the Nambucca Shire holds the marks and traces of past human endeavor and is one of many coastal forest sources of the magnificent timber tree – red cedar, and the mythic tales of cedar getters who worked the forests. This place of trees is imbued with memories deeply seated in the cultural identity of the region and is a site of conflict, survival and settlement. Past and present timber practices have left their mark and the landscape bears the scars. Today Indigenous peoples within the region are reclaiming once lost sacred sites within the forest landscape and the once contested forestry practices and blockades have made way for the preservation of old growth, rainforests and cultural sites of significance into reserves and national parks. The sculptural installation works presented here are a reflection of my personal connection to this landscape of trees and the deeply embedded histories the forest contains.

Drying of timber increases its durability and strength. Therefore, timber should be dried to a moisture content close to the equilibrium moisture content it will attain in service. The drying of timber from its natural green state to the required moisture content is thus an important part of the production cycle. Hardwood species, due to their macroscopic structures, are more difficult to dry as compared to softwood. A great deal of research has centred in recent years on developing a fast drying process for softwood; on the other hand, there is a need for a process to dry hardwood rapidly. A new drying technique, called Continuously Varying Schedule (CVS) was recently developed by the author for the purpose of rapidly drying the medium to high density hardwood. The investigation described herein was carried out to compare the CVS process with the conventional drying process. The factors compared were drying time, quality of timber produced and the energy consumed. It was found that the CVS process reduced the drying time by 34.5% and saved 30.7% of the energy. It produced also, a competitive dried timber quality. The process achieved highly efficient drying, as the rate of drying (MC%/h x 100) was 80.3% higher than the conventional process and also, the amount of water evaporated per unit of drying time (g/h) was 67.1% higher. The CVS drying performance has achieved a 71.9% increase in the amount of moisture content reduced per unit of energy (MC%/kWh x 100) and a 57.8% increase in the amount of water evaporated per unit of energy (g/kWh) as compared to the conventional process. Much emphasis was placed on energy saving in the drying plant and it was suggested that a heat exchanger be used to recover waste energy from the exhausted air of the kiln. A dehumidifier coupled to a solar-powered system, backed up with an electric or wood waste booster, was recommended as a low-cost energy drying plant. An alternative source to the petroleum-based energy was also discussed. The study of air flow through the timber stack in the kiln was a major part of this investigation as it is one of the principal features of the CVS process. A new technique was developed to measure the air velocity and the turbulence level %. The technique involves the integration of a hot wire anemometer, data logger, computer and computer peripherals. The air velocity profiles for twelve fan speeds, between 400 and 2200 rpm, were drawn by a computer graphical program, using data collected by the above circuit. It was obvious that the boundary layer which exists around the timber surface at the low air velocity protects the timber being processed against the high and continuously increasing temperature during the CVS drying process.

In this study, a systematic approach was adopted to investigate, numerically and experimentally, localised defects and/or damage in timber bridges, such as rot, using modal based damage detection techniques. An existing damage detection method namely damage index (DI) method that utilises modal strain energy before and after damaged state was adopted. One contribution of this study was to modify the Dl method by an additional step of normalising the modal curvature, which would minimise the dominance of higher modes. In the numerical models, a comparative study of the effects of numerical integration techniques used in a damage detection process was carried out. The results show that when mode shape curvature integrations use the rectangular rule for the numerical integration, it yields better results than the trapezoidal rule. In the numerical examples using a finite element model of timber beam, the modified DI (MDI) methods were found to perform better than its original form for locating'" single and multiple damage scenarios. For the DI methods, two types of formulations were adopted and modified, and they are denoted as modified damage index I (MDI-I) and modified damage index II (MDI-II). Another modal based damage detection method, namely changes in flexibility (CIF), was adopted for locating damage. It was found that the ClF method performed reasonably well for single damage but not multiple damage scenarios. As part of the study, the modified damage index methods were utilised for evaluating severity of damage. For the :MDI-I method, the formulation was not derived to evaluate damage severity directly. Instead, a hybrid of the MDI-I and CIF methods (HMC), was proposed for evaluating severity of damage in terms of loss of '1' (moment of inertia). Using three levels of damage, i.e. light (L), medium (M) and severe (S), the HMC method is able to predict the medium and severe damage quite well, but it is less efficient for light damage scenarios. For the MDI-II method, further manipulation of the algorithm can predict the severity of damage in terms of loss of'I'. This method is able to predict the medium and severe damage quite well but is not as good for the light damage. Both methods, HMC and MDI-II, for predicting severity of damage, required some adjustment using a weighting factor in order to obtain reasonable results. An experimental modal analysis (EMA) test program of timber beams was undertaken. This was done to verify the robustness of the modified damage index methods for detecting location and estimating severity of damage. The laboratory investigation was conducted on the corresponding changes of modal parameters due to loss of section. The MDI methods were used to detect location of damage and to evaluate the severity of damage in the test beams. A mode shape reconstruction technique was utilised to enhance the capability of the damage detection algorithms with limited number of sensors. The test results and analysis show that location of damage is quite accurately estimated with the available sensors. The methods demonstrate that they are less mode dependant and can detect damage with a higher degree of confidence. The MDI methods also show that they are able to predict the severe damage well, but it is less accurate for the medium damage and not as good for light damage. The damage index II (DI-II) method extended to plate-like structures (DI-II-P) was adopted and evaluated for detecting damage. Based on finite element analysis (FEA) results of a laboratory timber bridge, the DI-II-P method which utilises two dimensional (2-D) mode shape curvature was employed to detect location of damage. The results show that the tnethod based on 2-D mode shape curvature is able to locate damage quite well, numerically. A supplementary work using the DI-II-P method in a timber plate model was carried out. The results also show that the method was able to predict the damage location well. A process of updating a laboratory timber bridge, analytically, is presented. A finite element model was developed and updated with experimental modal data. Material properties of timber beam (girders) and plywood (deck) as well as the screw connection between deck and girder were experimentally investigated. These test results were then used for the finite element modelling. The model has been developed sequentially starting with a preliminary model having very simple features. It followed by the advanced model calibrated with the experimental modal data employing a global objective function, consisting of errors of natural frequencies and modal assurance criterion. The calibrated finite element model shows a good correlation to the experimental model with minor adjustments to the real material properties and boundary conditions. The calibrated model can reasonably be used to study the damaged behaviour of the laboratory timber bridge. The bridge model was then used to verify the numerical results for detecting damage. The bridge was inflicted with various damage scenarios with loss of section similar to the timber beam models. The limited number of data was expanded using the 2-D cubic spline. Using the reconstructed data for detecting damage yields better results than just using 'as is' data. Using the undanlaged and dmnaged modal data, the D I-II -P method was employed to detect the location of damage. The results of using the first nine modes showed that generally the severe damage is able to be located by the method. It performs reasonably well for the medium damage but does not perform as good in the light damage scenarios. However, in some cases the method can present some problems in identifying severe damage, which may be due to lack of normalisation of mode shape curvature. Complementary work was undertaken using the method 'On a timber plate, experimentally. The results showed that the damage detection process in the timber plate is less efficient compared to the laboratory timber bridge. A comprehensive comparative study was carried out based on the results of the numerical and experimental investigation of damage detection on timber beam, laboratory timber bridge and timber plate. For the timber beam, both damage detection methods, MDI-I and MDI-II, were capable of detecting medium and severe damage in the numerical and experimental studies. However, the light damage was not identified well using the experimental data in the presence of noise. To estimate damage severity in the timber beam, the HMC method performed well for the medium and severe damage. The method did not work well in estimating severity of light damage. Similar conclusions can be drawn in using the MDI-II method to estimate the damage severity. The results of applying the DI-II-P method (using 9 modes) to locate damage in the laboratory timber bridge showed that numerical and experimental data are capable of detecting all severe damage for damage cases with less than three damage locations. While for light and medium damage, the experimental data did not work well as compared to the numerical one. For the timber plate (a complementary work), the numerical and experimental results also showed that they are able to detect the severe damage well. However, there were serious false positives appearing in the light damage cases in the experimental results.

This paper reports the findings of using multi-agent based simulation model to evaluate the sawmill yard operations within a large privately owned sawmill in Sweden, Bergkvist Insjön AB in the current case. Conventional working routines within sawmill yard threaten the overall efficiency and thereby limit the profit margin of sawmill. Deploying dynamic work routines within the sawmill yard is not readily feasible in real time, so discrete event simulation model has been investigated to be able to report optimal work order depending on the situations. Preliminary investigations indicate that the results achieved by simulation model are promising. It is expected that the results achieved in the current case will support Bergkvist-Insjön AB in making optimal decisions by deploying efficient work order in sawmill yard.