Inauguration of new building marks intensified activity in all fields of forestry
THE new building of the Forest Research and Experiment Institute, situated within the El Pardo forest estate outside Madrid, was formally inaugurated by His Excellency, the Chief of the State, General Franco, on 2 November 1954.
After the building had been blessed by the Bishop of Madrid, the Director-General of Forests and the Director of the Institute, Señor M. Ganuza, conducted General Franco and a group of distinguished visitors on a tour of the various installations, laboratories, mills and workshops. The forest engineer in charge of each section explained the purpose of his work and the principal problems now being studied, a blending of silvicultural research - the growing of the raw material and its technology - and utilization research.
At the end of the visit, General Franco proceeded to the assembly hall for the official inauguration of the Institute. A feature of this hall is the great walnut entrance door and the interior decoration in chestnut. The main staircase is also in walnut and chestnut.
The new Institute with its park and nurseries occupies an area of 24 hectares. The experimental nurseries cover 9 hectares and are used to raise a variety of forest species of conifers and hardwoods, both indigenous and exotic. There is a unique collection of black poplars, including the most choice Spanish European and America varieties, as well as many selected hybrids for use in various parts of the country. The park constitutes a study arboretum, with a large variety of forest species spread out in small plots.
Forest research and experiment institute
The Institute is divided into a number of independent sections to cover all aspects and fields of study connected with forest utilization in Spain, soil conservation, and inland fisheries. Each section has its own affiliated field experiment stations and field staff.
Vestibule. Staircase in walnut and chestnut. In the background, windows carry forestry motifs.
The sections as at present constituted include:
1. Biology of inland fisheries, with laboratories, workrooms and aquaria for fish acclimatization and pollution testing.2. Pulp, with experimental paper and rayon machines and laboratories for analysis and physical tests.
3. Mycology and wood preservation, with separate laboratories for identification, preparation of culture media and analysis of fungicides, testing of preservatives and of wood impregnation.
4. Forest flora and dendrology, with study rooms and herbarium collections.
5. Torrent control, with laboratories, conduits and plant for the study, measurement and correction of torrents and soil erosion phenomena.
6. Timber mechanics, with the required facilities, laboratories and workshops for the study of timber as building material, seasoning, and testing of all kinds of nailed and glued manufactured products.
7. Planting and forest genetics, with workrooms, seed testing laboratories and the nurseries and arboreta required for the cultivation and acclimatization of exotic species and selection of varieties and strains.
8. Resins, with an experimental still and chemical and physical laboratories for the study of resinous products and their industrial derivatives.
9. Forest soils, with physical and chemical analysis laboratories and facilities for testing fertility and plant growth
Translated from an original Spanish text.
Timber mechanics section. Packaging test apparatus.
Experimental conduit for study of erosion and siltation
Resins section. Apparatus for experimental distillation.
Pulp and paper section. General view of experimental paper machines.
