Research interests

• Life cycle assessment of forests and wood products
• Greenhouse accounting for forests and wood products 
• Decay of wood and paper products in landfills
• Emissions trading in the forestry sector
• Management  of carbon pool in wood products
• Wood science

Background

Fabiano joined State Forests of NSW* in 2000 as a research officer, in a project co-funded by the CRC for Greenhouse Accounting. The project investigated several aspects of the life cycle of carbon in wood products.

Fabiano is currently the leader of the “Greenhouse footprint of wood products in NSW” project, funded under the Climate Action Grants initiative of the NSW Government. The project includes the following main research components:

• Energy budget of the manufacture of wood products.
• Decomposition of wood and paper products in landfills.
• Life cycle assessment of wood waste disposal options.

Fabiano has also been actively involved in the development of methodologies and mechanisms required for the potential inclusion of wood products in the proposed national emissions trading schemes.

*NSW Department of Primary Industries was formed on July 1, 2004 through an amalgamation of NSW Agriculture, NSW Fisheries, State Forests of NSW and the NSW Department of Mineral Resources.

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Forestry, 1997 University of Brasilia, Brazil 
• Masters in Wood Science - 2000 Australian National University

Current and recently completed projects

• Greenhouse footprint of wood products in NSW
• Carbon in timber within a National Emissions Trading Scheme 
• Carbon stocks in Australian residential housing 
• Greenhouse credentials of softwood railway sleepers
• Decomposition of Australian-made paper products in anaerobic reactors

Selected Recent Publications

2008: Ximenes, F.A., Gardner, W.D and Kathuria, A. “Biomass in commercial logs and residues following the harvest of five commercial forest species in Australia.” Accepted for publication by Forest Ecology and Management.

2008:  Ximenes, F.A., Gardner, W.D and Cowie, A. “The decomposition of wood products in landfills in Sydney, Australia”. Waste Management (in print).

2007: Richards, G.P.; Borough, C.; Evans, D; Reddin, A.; Ximenes, F.A. and Gardner, W.D. “Developing a carbon stocks and flows model for Australian wood products”. Australian Forestry, Vol. 70, No.2, p.108-119.

2006: Ximenes, F.A and Evans, P.D.  “Protection of wood using oxy-aluminium compounds”. Forest Products Journal, Vol.56 (11/12), p.116-122.

2006: Ximenes, F.A.; Gardner, W.D. and Richards, G. “Total above-ground biomass and biomass in commercial logs following the harvest of spotted gum (Corymbia maculata) forests of SE NSW”. Australian Forestry, Vol. 69 (3), p.213-222.

Scientific reports

2007: Ximenes, F.A., Gardner, W.D and Marchant, J.F. “Production and use of preservative-treated wood products in Australia in 2000”. Report submitted to the Australian Greenhouse Office.

2006: Ximenes, F.A. “Carbon storage in wood products in Australia: a review of the current state of knowledge”. Report prepared for the Forest and Wood Products Research and Development Corporation. http://www.fwprdc.org.au/menu.asp?id=36&lstReports=18.

2006: Ximenes, F.A. and Gardner, W.D. “The decay of coarse woody roots following harvest in a range of forest types”. Australian Greenhouse Office. National Carbon Accounting System Technical Report No.49.

2005: Ximenes, F.A.and Gardner, W.D. “Production and use of forest products in Australia”. Forest Resources Research – Forest Resources Research - NSW Department of Primary Industries Technical Paper No. 71.

2005: Ximenes, F.A.; Gardner, W.D. and Marchant, J.F. “Carbon flow following the harvest of blackbutt trees and their conversion into sawn products”. Forest Resources Research – NSW Department of Primary Industries Research Paper No. 41.

2005: Ximenes, F.A.; Gardner, W.D. and Marchant, J. “Total biomass measurement and recovery of biomass in log products in Spotted gum (Corymbia maculata) forests of SE NSW”. Australian Greenhouse Office. National Carbon Accounting System Technical Report No. 47.

2005: Ximenes, F.A. and Gardner, W.D. “Recovery of biomass as green sawn boards after milling of spotted gum sawlogs from NSW South Coast forests”. Australian Greenhouse Office. National Carbon Accounting System Technical Report No. 48.

Professional associations and activities

Member of Australian Life Cycle Assessment Society

Fields of Research

• 070504 Forestry Management and Environment
• 091210 Timber, Pulp and Paper 
• 050204 Environmental Impact Assessment

Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC)

Keyword/phrase list of research interests

• Wood science
• Life cycle assessment
• Greenhouse gas accounting  
• Landfills
• Emissions trading

Contact details