Starting with this issue, PRO LIGNO journal presents under the heading entitled FRONTLINES, the speciality-specific subjects teached at the Wood Industry Faculty in Brasov. Several aims are pursued by this series of presentations:

• informing managers form woodprocessing companies on the level of knowledge gained by a graduate of this faculty during his/her four-year period of study;
• informing potential candidates – highschool graduates – who intend to become students of this faculty on the contents and specificty of the courses thay are going to attend if they choose wood engineering as their future profession;
• informing foreign students who wish to attend these courses in the frame of various exchange programmes.

The disiplines are presented in chronological order, according to the present curricula (see Frontlines – PRO LIGNO Vol. 1, Nº 2). Thus, the series of presentations begins with two basic subjects, comprised within the curricula of the first year, which acquaints the students with their main topic of study: WOOD.

Subject title: Fundamentals of wood Production and environment protection

Semester / Year of study: semester I / 1st year.

Status: compulsory

Objective:
Gaining knowledge on the biogenesis of wood, on the production process in wood harvesting, as well as on the elements which define the environment and their consequences on humankind and biosphere.

Contents:
The current structure of the lecture contains three distinct chapters, the first chapter being the most vast, while the other two chapters are more concise.

Chapter I. The Biogenesis of Wood

• Role, importance and distribution of forests
• Trees growth and wood formation
• Influence of environmental factors on the tree shape and wood quality
• Treatments, particularities, classification, analysis

Chapter II. Wood Harvesting

• The structure of the production process
• Harvesting methods and technology 
• Gathering and storing operations

Chapter III. Environment Protection

• Circulation of environmental pollutants; ecosystems; network and trophic chain
• Ambiental crisis, characteristics, consequences (analysis).

 The practical applications envisage the determination of the most usual tree species in their natural environment, but also an individual bibliographic study on the following topics:

1. Elements for practical determination of tree species in the field.
2. World forest distribution.
3. Environmental protection (with essays).

History:
The subject was teached for the first time as early as 1968, by Prof. dr. eng. Victor Stanescu from the Faculty of Silviculture Brasov. During the period of 1968-1970 it was entitled “Fundamentals of Wood Production”. Starting with the year 1970 till 1974 the subject was taken over by Lecturer eng. Petru Pescarus and its title changed into “Silviculture and Forests Exploitation”.

The year 1974 brought Prof. dr. eng. Gheorghe Zlate as head of this discipline, who teached it over 30 years till 2005, the year of his retirement. During this period the discipline was improved and permanently reviewed until the present contents and title “Fundamentals of Wood Production and Environment Protection”. Among the bibiographical references signed by Professor Zlate, we mention: “Silviculture and Forests Exploitation” (in Romanian language), published in 1979, by the University Publishing House in Brasov; ”Fundamentals of Crop, Exploitation and Wood Conversion” (in Romanian language), published in 1985 by the Publishing House Ceres, Bucharest; ”Fundamentals of Wood Production and Mechanica Wood Processing” (in Romanian language), published by the same Publishing House, in 1990. By his permanent interest on everything related to environment – tree – wood, he succeeded to transmit to each generation the passion and the joy to discover a new beginning, a new profession.

Present Head of Discipline:
Dr. Emanuela-Carmen BELDEAN, lecturer, graduate of the Faculty of Wood Industry, class 1995.
Title of Ph.D. thesis: “Contributions to the study of beech dimensional instability improvement by surface treatments “. Scientific Coordinator: prof. dr. eng. Maria-Daniela MIHAI. Thesis defended in July 2004 at “Transilvania” University of Brasov.

Perspectives and Opportunities:

• The following development directions are envisaged:
• Enriching the bibliographical basis for students and all interested specialists, by re-editing the guidebook for practical applications.
• Renewal of the subject contents by presenting the latest news within the field.
• Constant participation at different national and international scientific events in the field of wood engineering with a view to access state-of-the-art information.

 
Subject title: WOOD ANATOMY

Semester / Year of study: semester II / 1st year

Status: compulsory

Objective:
Gaining the knowledge on the wood as a very complex biological material, by the assimilation of basic information on the submicroscopic structure of the cell wall, types and characteristics of the component cells, macroscopic features, identification of different wooden species, defects and natural durability of wood.
These represent the basis of understanding the physical, mechanical and technological properties of wood, its behaviour under different treatments, as well as the processing and utilization possibilities.
           
Contents:
The lectured material is structured on two chapters:
1. Wood Structure:

• Definition and classification of wood structure
• Types of sections used to study the wood structure
• Structure and characteristics of cell wall
• Specific features of the cell wall structure
• Types of wooden cells
• Prosenchyma cells: tracheids, fibres, vessel elements
• Parenchyma cells: longitudinal, traumatic, epithelial, radial
• General aspect of the microscopic structure of softwoods and hardwoods
• Macroscopic features of wood: sapwood, heartwood, growth rings, rays, pores, intercellular canals, fibre zones, parenchyma zones, pith flecks
• Physical characteristics of wood: color, lustre, grain, texture
• Olfactory and gustatory characteristics of wood: smell, taste

2. Wood Defects:

• Definition and classification of defects
• Shape defects of roundwood and sawn timber boards
• Structural defects
• Natural growth characteristics considered as defects (knots)
• Fissures in roundwood and timber
• Defects caused by insects
• Defects caused by bacteria and fungi
• Natural durability: definition, influencing factors
• Determination of natural durability of wood by mycological method.

The lecture is completed by practical laboratory works with the following topics:

• Examination, measurement and determination of the main anatomic elements of wood
• Examination of the microscopic structure of softwood species
• Examination of the microscopic structure of hardwood species
• Determination of the annual rings features and of the heartwood proportion
• Identification and macroscopic description of the main home-grown softwood species
• Identification and macroscopic description of the main home-grown hardwood species 
• Identification and macroscopic description of the main exotic species
• Examination, identification and description of the main wood defects.

History:
The subject initially entitled „Wood Technology” was teached starting with the year 1948 till 1960 within the “Exploitation and Wood Industry Institute” from Bucharest and the “Silviculture and Wood Processing Institute” from Câmpulung Moldovenesc by Prof dr. eng. Nicolae GHELMEZIU, as head of discipline. Beside a special activity inside the department, Prof. Ghelmeziu published numerous handbooks, being the first author of some speciality works, such as: “Wood Technology” in “The Handbook of the Forestry Engineer 84” (Bucharest, 1957) and “Wood Identification” (Bucharest, 1959).

In 1961, two years after the Faculty of Wood Industry was set up within the Polytechnical Institute in Brasov, the subject was taken over by Prof. dr. eng. Jiva FILIPOVICI and was entitled “Wood Science”, a title which was kept for 36 years. Prof. Filipovici stayed as head of discipline until 1972. Within this period, he published the first Romanian reference manual in this field: “Wood Science” Vol I and II (Bucharest 1964, 1965).

Starting with the year 1973 the subject was taken over by Lecturer eng. Petru PESCARUS. He remained as head of discipline for 28 years, being well appreciated by all students who attended the courses of our faculty within this long period. Prof. Pescarus published many reference books, such as: “Wood Science, Vol. I” and the first “Guidebook for practical applications”.

In time, several teachers sustained laboratory hours at this discipline: prof. dr. eng. Gheorghe ZLATE, senior lect. dr. eng. Dietmar Brenndorfer, prof. dr. eng. Maria Cismaru, prof. dr. eng. Aurel Lunguleasa, lect. eng. Mihaela Porojan, lect. eng. Gheorghe Bistriceanu and others.

Starting with the year 1998, the subject was divided into two parts, the first part being entitled “Wood Anatomy” and the second part being entitled “Physics and Mechanics of Wood”, the latter to be presented within the next journal issue.

Present Head of Discipline:
Maria CISMARU, Professor, PhD, graduate of the Faculty of Wood Industry, class 1970. 
Title of PhD thesis: “Researches concerning the influence of veneers shrinkage on the shape stability of veneered panels”. Scientific Coordinator: prof. dr. eng. Maria-Daniela MIHAI. Thesis defended in December 1998 at the “Transilvania” University of Brasov.

 Perspectives and Opportunities:
The following development directions are envisaged:

• Enriching the material basis of the laboratory with a performant microtome device to be used for manufacturing microscopic samples.
• Supplementation of material basis with laboratory microscopes.
• Setting up of a new “Wood Microscopy” laboratory for research purposes, both for PhD-students and teachers.
• Improving the bibliographical basis for students and specialists by editing two speciality books on “Wood Anatomy” and “Wood Defects”.