ICAR AICE-JRF/SRF Plantation Forestry & Short-Rotation Crops: practice questions

1 · Planted forests worldwide: extent and roles · medium

Plantations cover only a small fraction of forest area. What share of the world's industrial roundwood are they commonly estimated to supply?

1. Under 5 per cent, and falling
2. About a third or more, and rising
3. Roughly the same share as their share of forest area
4. Almost all of it, as natural forests are no longer logged

2 · Species and clone choice for industrial plantations · hard

A company plans to plant its single best clone over 20,000 ha because it outgrew all others in trials. What is the strongest objection?

1. The clone will lose its superiority after the first rotation because clones revert to the wild type
2. Large clonal blocks always produce lower wood density than seedling stands
3. Trials cannot measure growth, so the reported superiority is meaningless
4. A single genotype over a large area risks catastrophic loss if a new pest or disease to which it is susceptible arrives

3 · Spacing, rotation and productivity (mean annual increment) · medium

Why is the financial rotation that maximises land expectation value usually shorter than the rotation of maximum mean annual increment?

1. Wood prices always fall with tree size
2. Mean annual increment is undefined after the first thinning
3. Biological rotations ignore the volume of wood produced
4. Capital tied up in the growing stand carries an interest cost, so harvest is earlier

4 · Pulpwood, sawlog and veneer regimes · medium

How many cubic metres of wood are needed per tonne of pulp if basic density is 0.48 t/m³ and pulp yield is 50%?

1. 4.17 m³
2. 2.08 m³
3. 0.24 m³
4. 1.04 m³

5 · Pulpwood, sawlog and veneer regimes · hard

Wood from fast-grown, short-rotation plantations contains a high proportion of juvenile (core) wood. Which property set is typical of such wood in many species?

1. Lower density, shorter fibres, larger microfibril angle and greater longitudinal shrinkage
2. Higher density, longer fibres, smaller microfibril angle and lower shrinkage
3. Exactly the same properties as mature wood from old-growth trees
4. More heartwood extractives and greater natural durability

6 · Short-rotation coppice and energy plantations · medium

A coppice is harvested every 3 years, yielding 30 green tonnes per hectare at 50% moisture content (wet basis). What is its annual yield in oven-dry tonnes per hectare?

1. 10 odt/ha/yr
2. 5 odt/ha/yr
3. 15 odt/ha/yr
4. 2.5 odt/ha/yr

7 · Short-rotation coppice and energy plantations · hard

Under which situation is a dedicated bioenergy plantation most likely to give a net climate benefit?

1. Coppice on degraded land, with nutrients returned and wood replacing fossil fuel
2. Plantation established by draining and clearing a tropical peat swamp forest for fast growth
3. Plantation that displaces food crops onto newly cleared natural forest
4. Plantation burnt each year to dispose of residues without energy recovery

8 · Plantation health and monoculture risks · hard

An estate of Acacia mangium in South-East Asia is losing trees to Ceratocystis wilt. Which long-term strategy is most consistent with plantation health principles?

1. Diversify species and genetic material, such as tested eucalypt or hybrid acacia clones, and improve sanitation and monitoring
2. Replant the same seed source on the same sites as fast as possible
3. Spray fungicide over the whole estate annually for the rest of the rotation
4. Stop monitoring, since wilt cannot spread between neighbouring trees

9 · Plantations and water, soils and biodiversity · medium

How can plantations on degraded land act as a 'catalyst' for native forest recovery?

1. Their canopy shades out grasses and draws seed-dispersing animals
2. Their roots release natural herbicides that kill only invasive shrubs
3. They replace the soil with a sterile layer that natives prefer
4. They prevent any seed from arriving, so only planted trees remain

10 · Outgrower and contract-farming schemes · medium

Which feature most often distinguishes successful outgrower schemes from failed ones?

1. Contracts written in technical language only the company understands
2. Prices set privately by the company after the harvest is delivered
3. Clear, fair contracts, transparent floor prices and organised farmers
4. Exclusion of farmers' organisations from all negotiations