This paper deals with the impact of heat treatment on the elastic and strength properties of two diffuse porous hardwoods, namely Fagus sylvatica and Betula pendula. Two degrees of the heat treatment were used at temperatures of 165 °C and 210 °C. The dynamic and static elasticity modulus, bending strength, impact toughness, hardness, and density were tested. It is already known that an increase in treatment temperature decreases the mechanical properties and, on the other hand, leads to a better shape and dimensional stability. Higher temperatures of the heat treatment correlated with lower elastic and strength properties. In the case of higher temperature treatments, the decline of tested properties was noticeable as a result of serious changes in the chemical composition of wood. It was confirmed that at higher temperature stages of treatment, there was a more pronounced decrease in beech properties compared to those of the birch, which was the most evident in their bending strength and hardness. Our research confirmed that there is no reason to consider birch wood to be of a lesser quality, although it is regarded by foresters as an inferior tree species. After the heat treatment, the wood properties are almost the same as in the case of beech wood.

This work deals with the quality of birch (Betula pendula) wood from different sites and the impact of heat treatment on it. Two degrees of heat treatment were used, 170 °C and 190 °C. The resulting property values were compared with reference to untreated wood samples. These values were wood density, compressive strength, modulus of elasticity (MOE), bending strength (MOR), impact bending strength (toughness), hardness, swelling, limit of hygroscopicity, moisture content and color change. It was supposed that an increase in heat-treatment temperature could reduce strength properties and, adversely, lead to better shape and dimensional stability, which was confirmed by experiments. It was also shown that the properties of the wood before treatment affected their condition after heat treatment, and that the characteristic values and variability of birch properties from 4 sites, 8 stems totally, were reflected in the properties of the heat-treated wood. Values of static MOR were the exception, where the quality of the input wood was less significant at a higher temperature, and this was even more significant in impact bending strength, where it manifested at a lower temperature degree. Impact bending strength also proved to be significantly negatively affected by heat treatment, about 48% at 170 °C, and up to 67% at 190 °C. On the contrary, the most positive results were the MOE and hardness increases at 170 °C by about 30% and about 21%, respectively, with a decrease in swelling at 190 °C by about 31%. On the basis of color change and other ascertained properties, there is a possibility that, after suitable heat treatment, birch could replace other woods (e.g., beech) for certain specific purposes, particularly in the furniture industry.

Bilberries (Vaccinium myrtillus L.), raspberries (Rubus idaeus L.), blackberries (Rubus fruticosus L.) and cowberries (Vaccinium vitis-idaea L.) are the most important forest berries collected in the Czech Republic (CZ). The average annual value of these collected berry species is estimated to be worth more than EUR 86 million at 2018 prices. The data concerning the collection and use of forest fruits have been systematically collected in a highly detailed structure since 2008, which enables the application of the advanced statistical methods used in this paper. The results of the analyses inter alia demonstrate that collecting forest berries is not only an important recreational activity, but it has an important economic effect. Therefore, this article also deals with the collection of forest fruits, especially bilberries, as a potentially important non-wood forest product (NWFP) for sustainable forest management and also analyses the external factors influencing the total annual amount of collected forest berries. A deeper knowledge of the customer and his or her behaviour—customer insight—are prerequisites for the proactive management of forest ecosystems. The first step to “berry picker insight” is to learn more about the demand, its structure and factors which influence this demand. Thus, one of the research questions concentrates on the analysis of the sociodemographic characteristics of the berry picker that are relevant for explaining the amount of collected forest berries in the Czech Republic. Knowledge of these factors can contribute to a more effective application of marketing methods for shaping and influencing the demand so that, in terms of time and place, it is more in line with the supply, which is limited by the natural conditions, growing season and production potential of forest ecosystems.

Forest certification is a voluntary verification tool that has been gaining importance within the global sustainability issues as an independent verification tool for sustainable forest management and wood processing industry and as an influencer in private and public purchasing policies and a component of emerging wood harvesting and trade legality schemes. This study focuses on the chain-of-custody (CoC) component of forest certification. A survey of CoC certified companies in the Czech Republic and Slovakia was carried out to explore the understanding of the concept and role of forest and CoC certification as an environmental, economic, and social tool. It aimed to determine expectations following from the implementation of CoC certification by companies and to identify difficulties in existing certified wood product supply chains and costs related to purchase and sales of certified forest products, respectively. Results indicate that respondents demonstrated a high level of understanding of the CoC concept and that they link forest certification mainly to the issues of legality, tracing the origin source of supply and promotion of sustainable utilisation of wood. The main expected benefits are linked to the improvement of an external company image followed by penetration of new markets and increase of sales volume. CoC is not considered a tool to improve internal company performance and efficiency. The key problems connected to certified supply chains relate to the sufficient quantity of certified forest products, low margins and overpriced certified material inputs. Respondents reported none or minimum price premiums for their certified products over non-certified alternatives. Several differences related to the understanding of the sustainable forest management concept and the level of price premium paid for certified inputs were identified between the PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) and FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified companies as well as between the different forest products sectors.

This paper evaluates the impact of the forest environment on aggressive manifestations in adolescents. A remedial educative programme was performed with 68 teenagers from institutions with substitute social care with diagnoses F 30.0 (affective disorders) and F 91.0 (family-related behavioural disorders), aged 12–16 years. Adolescents observed patterns of prosocial behaviour in forest animals (wolves, wild boars, deer, bees, ants, squirrels and birds), based on the fact that processes and interactions in nature are analogous to proceedings and bonds in human society. The methodology is based on qualitative and quantitative research. Projective tests (Rorschach Test, Hand Test, Thematic Apperception Test) were used as a diagnostic tool for aggressive manifestations before and after forest therapies based on Shinrin-yoku, wilderness therapy, observational learning and forest pedagogy. Probands underwent 16 therapies lasting for two hours each. The experimental intervention has a statistically significant effect on the decreased final values relating to psychopathology, irritability, restlessness, emotional instability, egocentrism, relativity, and negativism. Forest animals demonstrated to these adolescents ways of communication, cooperation, adaptability, and care for others, i.e., characteristics without which no community can work.

This work is a follow-up contribution to the characteristics of Betula pendula (silver birch) wood from different habitats and the impact of the subsequent heat treatment. Specifically, it focuses on the surface properties of birch wood in the form of veneers, namely color, hardness, roughness and wetting, and in particular on the marketing evaluation of the attractiveness of colored birch wood and, thus, its possible use in practice in the Czech Republic. Three heat treatment steps at 170, 190 and 200 °C were used. The resulting values of the properties of the treated birch veneers were compared with the untreated reference veneers and also with beech veneers. These properties were the wood density, the colorimetric parameters, the roughness parameters, the wetting parameters, the hardness and density, and none of the parameters studied showed negative changes due to the temperature adjustment. Overall, both in terms of properties and in terms of marketing appraisal, there is the potential for birch to replace, for example, beech, especially in the furniture industry, by application in the form of heat-treated veneers after suitable heat treatment. The conclusions of the marketing analysis resulting from the questionnaire survey conducted on a sample of respondents show the significant preference for the heat-treated birch wood compared to reference birch samples without heat treatment.