Our services

The methods and technologies proposed by Silvatech to the communities primarily serve the following scientific objectives:

1/ Understand the trade-offs between resource acquisition and allocation (C, N, water, nutrients) and their utilization:

• Evaluation of the physiological status of trees by measuring carbon and nitrogen reserves (biochemical measurements of total soluble sugars, starch, amino acids)
• Tracing of C-N-O-H metabolic pathways and trophic networks using isotopic approaches (isotopic measurements of d13C, d15N, d18O, and dD using BSIA (solid, liquid, gas) or CSIA (specific compounds) approaches, elemental CHNSO measurements, d13C-DOC/DIC)
• Efficiency of water, carbon, and nitrogen use by microorganisms and trees (WUE by 13C leaf/wood measurement, NUE by 15N amino acid labeling, CUE by 18O incorporation into DNA, soil mineralization by 15N microdiffusion)
• Evaluation of chemical fertility and nutrient bioavailability in the soil-tree continuum (mineral chemistry of major elements, traces, ultra-traces, mapping and microanalysis EDS/WDS-SEM, ITRAX, LA-ICP-OES/MS, d46Mg, d44Ca)

2/ Connect environmental determinants to the hydraulic and biomechanical properties of wood subjected to multiple contexts (wind, drought, forestry, uses):

• Estimation of the multi-scale dynamics of wood formation and degradation and tree growth (correlative SEM-confocal imaging, quantitative anatomy, dendrometry/dendrochronology, microdensitometry
• Plasticity of anatomical structures in response to biotic and abiotic stresses (quantitative anatomy, laser confocal imaging and fluorochrome labeling, CRYO-SEM imaging, photonic imaging)
• Evaluation of wood resistance to stress in various silvicultural models (cellulose crystallinity and AMF measurement by XRD, mechanical stress tests, microdensitometry)
• Estimation of wood quality thru internal and external observation approaches, physical, mechanical, and chemical properties in relation to its uses (internal imaging of structures by X-ray tomography, hyperspectral imaging, measurement of AMF by XRD, "cube" imaging, in situ deformation sensors).

The SILVATECH facility provides applicants with all the necessary techniques for sample preparation at the INRAE site located in Champenoux (FR 54280). They are accessible by appointment with the technical contacts or on the platform's website via the reservation request tools.

In line with our quality management system, we have implemented regular monitoring of our equipment thru calibrations and planned verifications. You will also find on the platform's website a complete description of the preparation and analysis/measurement/observation tools, as well as recommendations for sample collection or preparation and the contact details of the agents to reach out to for more information.

The following table presents the services offered by the Platform. You can find more details about our various equipment in the "Instruments & Equipments" section.