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CONSTANT Thiéry
UMR SILVA 
Wood-Stock team
Centre INRAE Grand Est -Nancy
F54280 CHAMPENOUX (France)
thiery.constant@inrae.fr
+33 (0) 3 83 39 40 66

Research Topics

• Tree Biomechanics
• Gravitropism 
• Thigmomorphogenesis
• Terrestrial Lidar
• Wood Quality

My Research Activities in a Nutshell

My research started by studying heat and mass transfer phenomena during drying, assisted by microwave heating during my PhD, and infrared radiation during my post-doctoral position. Once employed by INRA, my research was dedicated to the understanding of the distortion of wood products, occurring during drying, with questions about the role of the wood properties variability. Considering the major role of reaction wood in distortion, my research progressively moved towards tree biomechanics for a better understanding of the reaction wood distribution linked to posture control. As geometry plays a leading role in tree biomechanics, today, I am also interested in thigmomorphogenesis due to wind and its impact for secondary growth including the growth anisotropy. For carrying out my research, I often developed original characterization methods. For the past ten years, I have been interested in the use of ground-based lidar that is well adapted to describe 3D tree geometry. In this context, I recently developed a research at the interface between forest and transformation industry for assessing the inner wood quality from 3D data describing trunks or logs. The objective is to link the characteristics of external defects, such as branch scars, burls or checks, to their inner features derived from information delivered from X-Ray CT scanning. Additionally, since May 2015, I was involved in the direction of joint research units.

Education & Profesional Experiences

• Post-Doctoral Position LEMTA- INPL Infrared Drying of Paper 1993
• PhD Institut National Polytechnique de Lorraine Speciality Mechanics and Energetics funded by AFME and EDF 1992
• Military Service in Ivory Coast as Mathematics Teacher [ Middle and High School Levels] 1987-1989
• DEA(Master2) Mechanics and Energetics - INPL 1987
• MST(i.e. Master1+ Bachelor Degree) Energetics and  Rational Use of Energy  Nancy I 1986
• DEUG A Material Sciences - Nancy I 1984
• DUT Mechanical Engineering - Nancy I 1983

Research Activities

• ~100 communications including 20 in peer-reviewed journals and 8 in practitioner or schorlarly  journals
  • https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Thiery_Constant
  • https://scholar.google.fr/citations?user=5yueSF0AAAAJ&hl=fr
• Co-Supervision of 6 PhD students, Supervision of 7 Master's Degrees and around fifteen diverse internships

PhDs' Co-Supervision

1. Joel Dongmo (started 01/10/2018) Acclimation of Beech Trees to change in wind mechanical stress following thinning (Dir M.Fournier- AgroParisTech)
2. Van-Tho Nguyen (10/2018) Estimation of the roundwood quality from terrestrial LiDAR data. (Dir. F. Colin)  - AgroParisTech
3. Vivien Bonnesoeur(10/2012) Acclimation to wind of the aerial Part of trees after a thinning : development of a perception-response model (Dir. M. Fournier) – AgroParisTech 
4. Mathieu Dassot (01/2013) Relationships between morphology, growth, reaction wood and maturation stresses : Contribution of the terrestrial LiDAR technology for answering to ecological and silvicultural questions. (Dir M. Fournier), - AgroParisTech
5. Adelin Barbacci (01/2008) Tree crown growth and gravitropism : Experimental verification and analysis of tension wood formation for mature beech trees. (Dir. G. Nepveu) -AgroParisTech
6. Miguel Angel Badia (12/2003) Modelling of the distribution of tension wood within a poplar stem from the 3D distribution of annual rings. (Dir. Gérard Nepveu) – ENGREF

Publications

Recent Research Projects

1. BEETWIND 10/2018-9/2021 Acclimation of Beech Trees to change in wind mechanical stress following thinning Funding LABEX ARBRE & INRA & Grand Est (150 k€)] PI.
2. QUALIDAR 01/2014-12/2018 Assessment of roundwood quality from terrestrial LiDAR data. Funding LABEX ARBRE and  Lorraine Region. Coordinator A Piboule (ONF-RDI). Managed Grant 110k€ (PI)
3. COOLWOOD 5/2013-10/2017 Industrial development of a storage and conservation process of timber by controlling temperature and moisture. Funding ANR Matetpro Coordinator L. Evrard (Biomasse Conseil) Partners :INDIGO ,LERMAB, LEMTA, LRGP, SFCDC. Managed Grant 270k€ (Task Leader) 
4. FOR-WIND 2013-2017 Silvicultural and economic adaptation of forest management to wind risk. Funding ANR AgroBiosphère Coordinator M. Fournier (AgroParisTech LERFoB) Grant 617k€  Partners: AMAP, EPHYSE, LEF, UMR PIAF, ONF, UMR BIOGECO Managed Grant 150k€ (Role Subtask Leader) 
5. WADE 01/2013-12/2016 Wood Acclimation to Disturbed Environments Labex Arbre, Coordinateur Meriem Fournier (LERFoB) Grant 195k€ Partners : EEF, BEF, LERMAB (Task leader).
6. MODELFOR 2012-2015 ONF Assessment of the standing trees quality by T-LIDAR Managed Grant 8k€ ( Role Task Leader)
7. TROPIC 10/2011-9/2015 Analysis and modelling of the gravi- and phototropic responses of trees. Funding ANR. Coordinator Catherine Coutand (UMR PIAF [Clermont-Ferrand] Partners: UMR AGPF (Orléans), UMR BIOGECO (Bordeaux). Managed Grant 68k€ (Role Task Leader).