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We report on the most extensive study to date in Poland concerning the variability in the chemical composition of silver birch (Betula pendula Roth.) wood depending on the forest habitat type and the location of the forest stand. The research was carried out in 12 forest districts, on two habitat types where silver birch forest stands predominate in respect of coverage area and merchantable volume. Chemical composition analysis was performed on 51 samples from 306 test trees aged approximately 30, 50 and 70 years. In the examined sample material, the sum of the main chemical components for individual locations varied from 89.26 to 91.57%. The content of substances soluble in water and ethanol ranged from 2.30 to 4.03%, and the ash content was measured at between 0.09 and 0.25%. The results showed that the location had a significant influence on the contents of substances soluble in cold water (p = 0.0015), hot water (p = 0.0005), ethanol (p \ 0.0001) and 1% NaOH (p = 0.0014), as well as on the contents of cellulose (p = 0.04), lignin (p = 0.002), pentosans (p = 0.04) and ash (p \ 0.0001) and on the pH value (p \ 0.0001). Notable influence of location on the contents of secondary constituents of birch wood, especially those extractable with water and ethanol, was recorded for the test plots in north-eastern Poland. The obtained results may form a basis for assessment of the industrial utility of birch wood, as well as the optimisation of traditional methods of utilisation and the development of new such methods that are ecological and sustainable.

A diverse spectrum of organisms, such as fungi, bacteria, and actinomycetes, can degrade and transform organic matter, including wood, into valuable nutrients. A sustainable economy has the goal of efficiently using waste as raw materials, and in this optic, it uses biological preparations more and more often, supporting the decomposition of lignocellulosic waste. With reference to wood wastes, which are produced in a substantial amount by the forest and wood industry, one of the possibilities to biodegrade such lignocellulosic material is the composting process. In particular, microbiological inoculum containing dedicated fungi can contribute to the biodegradation of wood waste, as well as the biotransformation of substances from the protection of wood, such as pentachlorophenol (PCP), lindane (hexachlorobenzene) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The purpose of this research was to produce a literature review in terms of the selection of decay fungi that could potentially be used in toxic biotransformation unions. The findings of the literature review highlighted how fungi such as Bjerkandera adusta, Phanerochaete chrysosporium, and Trametes versicolor might be ingredients of biological consortia that can be effectively applied in composting wood waste containing substances such as pentachlorophenol, lindane, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).

The purpose of the conducted study was to assess the possibility of using composts made from post-consumer wood containing waste of fibre boards and microbiological inoculums in chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum × grandiflorum Ramat./Kitam.) ‘Jewel Time’ cultivation. Five variants of composts (marked ask, KK, AL, AL + K, EM, EM + K) were prepared, each variant was duplicate. All variants consisted of fibreboard waste (60% of its weight), mixed with mature compost made from fibreboard waste (30%), Protohumovit-biologically active organic fertilizer with the chemical composition of cattle manure (3%), starch, sugar, corn oil (together 7%). A biological inoculum “Activit Las” was added to one half of reactors. “Activit Las” (produced by Atlas Planta S.C, Bydgoszcz) is biological inoculum containing of selected bacteria, actinobacteria and fungi, that is intended to accelerate the composting of lignocellulosic materials, including wood from forest and sawmill. The second part of reactors was implemented by microbiological inoculum (EM) from Greenland Technologia EM (Trzcianki, Poland). A Bio Best (produced by Atlas Planta S.C, Bydgoszcz) formulation of chicken manure was added to some of the reactors containing EM and Activit Las. Compost without any additional microorganisms and microelements was control for experiment. Plant quality depended on the dose of compost used as well as on the type of microbial inoculations used during the composting process. The addition of composts containing the EM microbial inoculation to peat stimulated the formation of inflorescences and inflorescence buds. It also had a positive effect on the size and number of leaves. An additional effect of using compost obtained from wood waste is the reduction in the consumption of natural resources such as peat.