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Résumé :
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Motivations of this project are based on three observations which seem to be causes to under- development of larch plantations across Europe : 1) larch wood from fast-growing lowland plantations is not known ; compared to native alpine larch with slow growth, one supposes that its major properties (mechanical strength, natural durability, etc) are altered. The volume of this lowland resource is becoming more and more important. On the other side, the traditional larch timber market (native range) is suffering actual shortages. 2) out of its native range, larch stands based on faster growing species and varieties have been in many cases poorly managed and have resulted in non-optimal yields and wood quality products. 3) due to several silvicultural advantages, foresters have larch in favour in many places across Europe and are ready to extend plantations. Nevertheless, lack of improved varieties and of plantlets impedes reforestation plans. Therefore, the objectives are clearly : 1) to develop knowledge on wood quality of the lowland larch timber resource mostly for its most original and economically important properties : natural durability and mechanical strength, 2) to prepare silvicultural guidelines and stand management scenarios allowing combination of maximum timber production, high wood quality and respect of environmental issues, 3) to select new improved varieties (for growth, architecture, wood quality and resistance to pests) and to improve efficiency of variety creation and selection tools, 4) to develop and optimize techniques for mass-production of reforestation material either by generative (seed) or by vegetative (cutting and embling) propagation systems.
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