Estimating Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) log diameter under bark by using shape and image data

The sawmilling industry stores and measures logs in bark in order to maximize efficiency, quality conservation and preservation. However, billing is based on the diameter under bark, which it is necessary to estimate based on manual or automatic bark detection. Recently, an approach for automatic determination of diameter under bark based on a multi-sensor approach, including shape data, colour image data and tracheid effect data has been presented, including promising results for logs of the species Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) H. Karst) and Silver fir (Abies alba Mill.). This paper extends this approach to Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.). The comparison of the estimated diameters under bark of 270 pine logs with the respective diameters after debarking shows that the method works well and reliably. Estimation errors are in general close to zero and are below ±10?mm for 98% of the logs. In comparison with manual bark detection, the automatic approach is clearly an improvement. Influences of season or characteristics like discolouration are mostly small. Applying a bark detection algorithm trained on spruce to the pine logs leads to acceptable results, but using a separate algorithm for pine leads to an even better performance.     

Detecting spruce and fir log diameter under bark by using shape and image data

The sawmilling industry stores and measures logs in bark in order to maximise efficiency, quality conservation and preservation. Billing is based on the diameter under bark, estimated based on manual or automatic bark detection. Although an automatic system is desirable for the industry, existing systems like tracheid effect scanners, X-ray or computed tomography either do not work reliably during all seasons or are very cost-intensive. This paper presents an approach for automatic determination of diameter under bark based on a multi-sensor approach including shape data, colour image data and tracheid effect data using laser scanning. For 686 spruce (Picea abies) and 79 fir (Abies alba) logs, diameters under bark are estimated and compared to the diameter after machine debarking. Estimation errors are close to zero and are below ±10 mm for more than 94% of the logs. Influences of season or characteristics like bark beetle are small. Specialised algorithms for diameter estimation in the presence of snow or bark beetle might further improve the result at the cost of required extra manual input.     

The importance of debarking in mitigating the leaching of pollutants from common Swedish tree species submerged in water

Sprinkling wood with water is a common method for protecting wood during storage, yet the polluted runoff generated by the log yard is a major drawback. To study bark’s ability to leach pollutants from logs, the Picea abies, Pinus sylvestris, and Betula pubescens wood species were submerged with and without bark for 6?weeks. The water was analysed during the study for total organic carbon, phosphorus, nitrogen, colour, pH, and distillable phenols. The results showed that the leaching from carefully debarked wood is lower than that of both gently debarked wood and intact wood. Storing carefully debarked logs is a viable method for reducing pollutants in log yard runoff.     

A continuum of dead wood with various habitat elements maintains the diversity of wood-inhabiting fungi in an old-growth boreal forest

Evidence on habitat associations of threatened wood-inhabiting species in boreal forests may contribute to a better understanding of their ecology and conservation needs. We examined the diversity of wood-inhabiting fungal communities in an old-growth boreal forest with high substrate availability and continuity based on repeated surveys of fruit bodies. The number of species in morphological and functional groups in relation to coarse woody debris (CWD) attributes was estimated with generalized linear models. Additionally, we calculated species interaction networks of CWD attributes and fungal species. The composition of fungal communities was analysed using a non-metric multidimensional scaling with subsequent environmental fitting. Old conifer (especially spruce) logs and large aspen logs with branches represented the most important substrates for the red-listed species and the indicator species of old-growth boreal forests. Among “dynamic” CWD attributes such as time since tree death, decay class and stage of epixylic succession, the latter was the most important indicator of diversity of all species and their morphological and functional groups. The interaction network provided evidence of the importance of tree species diversity for fungal diversity. The composition of fungal communities was tree species specific and related to dynamic attributes, bark cover and diameter of logs. Our results suggest the importance of a continuum of dead wood from different tree species with a variety of niches such as branches, exposed wood, fragmented and complete cover of bark and patches of epixylic vegetation to maintain the assemblages of wood-inhabiting fungi in an old-growth boreal forest.     

An investigation of the influence of harvesting practice on the development of blue-stain in Corsican pine logs

In September 1991, at Thetford, East Anglia and at Inverness,north-east Scotland, a comparison was initiated between blue-staindevelopment in Corsican pine logs from trees felled and processedby harvesting machine and similar logs from trees felled andtrimmed out by chain-saw. Blue-stain was assessed in discs from batches of logs destructivelysampled at 2-week intervals after felling. At the more southerlysite of Thetford, stain was first observed after 4 weeks. Themaximum recorded area was 10 per cent of the wood surface ina sample analysed after 10weeks. In contrast, stain never exceeded,1.1 per cent of the wood surface at Inverness. Amounts of stainwere significantly greater with machine-harvested logs thanwith chainsaw-harvested logs and were correlated with the amountof bark removed or loosened during harvesting. The use of spikedrollers resulted in more stain than did the use of rubber rollers. The fungi isolated from stained wood included Sphaeropsis sapinea,Potebniamyces coniferarum and Ceratocystis coerulescens. Theseare species adapted to the colonization of wood exposed throughdamage to the overlying bark     

Proportion of above-ground biomass in commercial logs and residues following the harvest of five commercial forest species in Australia

A significant factor influencing the contribution of wood products to carbon (C) storage is the proportion of above-ground tree biomass (AGB) recovered in commercial logs at harvest. This study examined the proportion of AGB in logs and residues at the harvest of radiata pine, cypress pine, blackbutt, spotted gum and messmate. Messmate and spotted gum had the highest variation in stem diameter and height. The average AGB ranged from 2000 to 3000 kg for the hardwoods and 220–1000 kg for the softwoods. Blackbutt had the overall lowest proportion of AGB recovered in commercial logs (45.5%) and radiata pine the highest (65%). The proportion of AGB in the bark of the hardwoods was significantly lower than in the softwoods. The proportion of the AGB in forest residues following harvest ranged from 30 to 55% depending on the species.The proportion of AGB recovered in high quality commercial logs ranged from 15% for spotted gum to 63% for radiata pine. The differences were due to the natural characteristics of the selected species and variations in regional market availability. The highest retention rates of AGB in high quality hardwood commercial logs were obtained for trees with DBH between 500 and 600 mm (messmate and blackbutt) and greater than 600 mm for spotted gum.The mean moisture content of the wood of the different species ranged from 35 to 50%. Messmate and radiata pine logs had the highest moisture content (48 and 50%, respectively).The C concentration of blackbutt, radiata pine and cypress pine was slightly higher than 50%. The softwoods had significantly higher C concentration than the hardwoods. The C concentration between positions (cross-section, sapwood and heartwood) also varied for the different species.The highest proportion of the above-ground C was in the debarked log for all species with the exception of blackbutt.The cellulose concentration of the wood ranged from 56 to 64% for hardwoods and 40–52% for the two softwoods. The lignin concentration of the wood ranged from 16 to 19% for the hardwoods and 25–35% for the two softwoods. The hardwood species could not be distinguished from one another based on the cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin concentration, but within the softwood species, cypress pine and radiata pine formed separate clusters.     

Influence of Log Characteristics on Drum Debarking of Pulpwood

Properties of 200 poorly debarked softwood logs were studied in order to examine how different log characteristics affect drum debarking of mixed pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and spruce [Picea abies (L.) Karst] pulpwood during the summer. The definition of a poorly debarked log and the sampling criterion was that >10 dm² bark remained on the log surface. The average share of poorly debarked logs was 8% and the most frequent log type was breakage logs. The main species among the poorly debarked logs was spruce and the mean wood moisture content was considerably lower than for the pulpwood chips. Many logs were affected by root rot or were damaged by harvesting equipment, resulting in reduced moisture content and, consequently, in increased bark/wood shear strength. Bark from the poorly debarked logs contributed to approximately 68% of the bark content in the chips. By avoiding air-drying of pulpwood, or by sorting pulpwood prior to debarking, the bark content in chips might be substantially reduced, which would improve the purity of the pulp and decrease production costs.     

Genetic control of wood density and bark thickness,and their correlations with diameter,in pure and hybrid populations of Eucalyptus grandis and E. urophylla in South Africa

Tree diameter under and over bark at breast height (dbh), wood density and bark thickness were assessed on samples from control-pollinated families of Eucalyptus grandis, E. urophylla, E. grandis × E. urophylla and E. urophylla × E. grandis. The material was planted in field trials in the coastal Zululand region of South Africa. At 75 months, between three and seven of the best trees per family were felled and wood samples collected. Genetic parameters for wood density, bark thickness and bark percentage (ratio of double bark thickness to overbark diameter) and the inter-trait correlations for the different species and hybrids were calculated. Genetic parameter estimates for wood density, bark thickness and bark percentage in the E. urophylla × E. grandis hybrids showed these traits to be under total additive genetic control. This was confirmed by the intermediate hybrid means for these traits relative to those of the parental species. There was a very low correlation between dbh and wood density for the E. urophylla × E. grandis hybrids (r_G = –0.07 and r_P = 0.064). Amongst the E. urophylla families there was a moderate positive and significant phenotypic correlation between wood density and bark thickness (r_P = 0.391), and between wood density and bark percentage (r_P = 0.442).     

Fungi associated with the spruce bark beetle Ips typographus in an endemic area in Norway

To investigate the fungal flora associated with the spruce bark beetle Ips typographus in an endemic area, beetles were collected during the flight period in six locations in Tr?ndelag, Norway. The beetles were inoculated into fresh Norway spruce logs, and the frequency of different species was monitored by fungal isolation from bark and wood. The most common species were Ophiostoma bicolor, O. penicillatum, O. polonicum and a previously undescribed Graphium species, the same species which were the most important associates of I. Typographus in an epidemic area in southeastern Norway. The frequency of the primary invader, O. polonicum, was, however, lower in Tr?ndelag, which may indicate that this species is less frequent in endemic areas than in epidemic areas.     

The Fingerprint Method: Using Over-bark and Under-bark Log Measurement Data Generated by Three-dimensional Log Scanners in Combination with Radiofrequency Identification Tags to Achieve Traceability in the Log Yard at the Sawmill

In the forestry–wood chain the concept and the technologies of traceability are in a mature development phase. Important advances in marking and reading techniques have been made in different parts along the forestry–wood chain. For Swedish sawmills the most critical information gap is located between the log sorting station and the saw intake, where the forest log batch identity disappears and the logs are mixed according to different sorting criteria. This study utilizes radiofrequency identification tags for automatic log marking/reading to develop a traceability system for logs, which is free of marking/reading, between the log sorting station and the saw intake, i.e. the fingerprint method. The originality of the fingerprint approach rests on the hypothesis that logs are separate entities with individual features. The results show that the log parameters and the search algorithm developed, combined with the negative influence of the measurement uncertainty due to bark thickness and bark damage, made it possible to achieve an individual separation for 57% of the tested logs.     

Initial Moisture Content and Density and Drying Rate of Three Pine Species Growing in the Natal Midlands

In this the first of a two-part report, results are given of investigations into the vertical distribution of the moisture content and density of wood and bark, as well as into bark thickness, bark mass and bark volume of two age groups of Pinus elliottii and P. patula trees and one of P. taeda. Variation in wood and bark properties was affected more by position in the stem than by species and age. This precludes the determination of reliable mass/volume conversion figures if stem position is not taken into consideration. The mass loss of logs of the above species after various periods of drying and the development of mass/volume conversion figures will form part of a further report.     

Optimal timing of early genetic selection for sawn timber traits in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Picea abies</Emphasis>

In breeding Norway spruce, selection for improved growth and survival is performed at age 10–15 years in order to optimize genetic gain per year. We investigated whether a selection based on wood traits such as density and grain angle, measured under bark in the field at the same age would be informative enough with respect to structural quality traits of sawn boards. To achieve this objective, a sawing study was conducted on the butt logs of 401 trees from a 34-year-old Norway spruce progeny trial situated in southern Sweden. Stem discs were excised from the top of the logs and radial profile data of grain angle, and wood density was recorded for specific annual rings. The sawn and dried boards were assessed for structural traits such as twist, board density, bending stiffness (static modulus of elasticity, sMoE) and bending strength (modulus of rupture, MoR). Additive genetic correlations (r_a) between single annual ring density measurements and board density, sMoE and MoR were consistently strong (r_a>?0.7) for annual rings 5–13. Genetic correlations of similar magnitude between grain angle and board twist were estimated for all investigated annual rings (from 2 to around 26 under bark). Consequently, it was found that indirect selection for wood density and grain angle at the tree age 10–16 years would result in more genetic gain per year than selection at later ages. This makes it feasible to perform simultaneous selection of progeny in the field for both growth and wood traits at similar ages.     

Wood properties of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pericopsis mooniana</Emphasis> grown in a plantation in Indonesia

The relationships between growth characteristics and wood properties were investigated for a threatened species, Pericopsis mooniana, to promote the establishment of plantations of this species in the tropics. Growth characteristics (diameter and height) and stress-wave velocity (SWV) of trees were measured for 22-year-old P. mooniana trees planted in Indonesia. The trees were categorized into three groups, fast-growing, middle-growing, and slow-growing trees, to investigate the effect of growth rate on the wood properties. In addition, radial variation of anatomical characteristics and wood properties were determined. No significant correlation was found between growth characteristics and SWV. The values for the vessel diameter, cell wall thickness of wood fibers, wood fiber length, basic density, modulus of elasticity, and modulus of rupture from wood at the bark side were higher than those at the pith side. On the other hand, vessel frequency gradually decreased from pith to bark. These results suggested that low-quality wood, such as juvenile wood, existed near the pith area.     

Identification of wood‐decay fungi and assessment of damage in log depots of Western Black Sea Region (Turkey)

The aim of this study was to determine and quantify the wood‐decay fungi found on logs of forest tree species (beech, oak, hornbeam, Scots pine and fir) stored in log depots located in six different provinces in the Western Black Sea Region of Turkey. Additionally, it was aimed to determine the natural durability of some important wood species against the most commonly detected wood‐decay fungi. Eighteen families, 31 genera and 45 species belonging to the division Basidiomycota were detected; Antrodia crassa was identified for the first time in Turkey. The abundance of Panus neostrigosus, Polyporus meridionalis, Trametes hirsuta, T. versicolor and Stereum hirsutumincreased significantly with the holding time of the logs (r = 0.99, 0.87, 0.53, 0.57 and 0.78, respectively, p < 0.05). The majority of the fungal species were detected on logs stored in depots for 4–6 years (66%). The percentage of fungal species found on the logs with a holding time of three years or less was 29%, whereas the percentage for those detected on logs stored for seven or more years was 31%. Among the wood species, the greatest number of fungal species (29) and highest amount of fungi (2,539) occurred on beech wood. Natural durability tests showed that T. versicolor caused the greatest loss of wood mass, with an average of 23%. Field studies and natural durability tests performed in the laboratory showed that beech wood lost the most mass among the timber species studied.     

Bryophytes and decaying wood in Hepatica site-type boreo-nemoral Pinus sylvestris forests in Southern Estonia

The aim of the study was to establish the amount of decaying wood (logs and stumps) in various groups of Hepatica site-type pine forests of different age and management intensity and to analyse the composition of bryophytes in dependence of these factors. The average volume of CWD in old unmanaged forests was 47.5 m³/ha, which is rather well comparable with respective estimations from Fennoscandia. Reduced human impact contributes positively to the amount of CWD. Diversity of log diameter classes and decay stages is larger in old forests. Altogether 73 bryophyte species were recorded, 65 species on logs and 55 on stumps. Species richness on stumps was higher in managed forests than in unmanaged ones. At the same time, the species having high indicator value for man-cut stumps are very common species in boreal forests and grow on other substrata as well. Species composition and ecological conditions differed between stumps and logs. Logs are more humid microhabitats than stumps, therefore the occurrence of hepatics is more frequent on them. According to species composition on decaying wood the old unmanaged forests distinguished from others. As the differences of substratum characteristics were notable between old and young forests, the stand age described a considerable part of species variance on logs.     

Relationship between branch-scar parameters and knot features of oriental beech (Fagus orientalis Libsky)

The classification of roundwood is inextricably linked to the measurement of a particular single wood defect. The appearance, location, and number of defects are important in the quality evaluation of logs and sawn timber, and the most important defects are knots. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the appearance of branch scars and features of the related knot inside oriental beech logs, and to model the relationship between well-defined branch-scar and knot parameters. One hundred and fifty knots in 15 stems of oriental beech trees were studied. Image analysis software was used to measure the branch-scar and knot features. The results showed a significant positive correlation between the branch-scar parameter “moustache length” and the knot length. The ratio of branch-seal length to width was found to be a good estimator of the stem diameter at the time of knot occlusion and the amount of clear wood between the knot occlusion and the bark. The relationship obtained for the oriental beech stem radius at time of knot occlusion confirms relationship reported for European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.).     

Development and investigation of a hybrid built-up column made of small diameter logs originating from juvenile trees

Small diameter logs from juvenile trees are heavily produced during the management of artificial forests around the world. As a kind of plentiful and inexpensive natural resource, the potential was not fully explored. So far the small diameter logs are mainly used as raw materials for products other than building materials. To utilize these small diameter logs originating from juvenile trees as structural members into wood construction, a kind of hybrid built-up column was developed and the performance was investigated experimentally and theoretically. It was found that column had good load-carrying capacity. To apply the developed member in wood construction, the prediction method of the column was proposed. The effective slenderness ratio which took the shear deformations due to the bending of limbs and slip of nail connections between U-shaped nails and limbs into consideration was derived based on mechanics theory. The proposed prediction method was found to have good accuracy in predicting the load-carrying capacity of the hybrid built-up column. This paper can promote the structural application of the small diameter logs originating from juvenile trees.     

Habitat associations of saproxylic beetles in the southeastern United States: A comparison of forest types,tree species and wood postures

Saproxylic beetles are highly sensitive to forest management practices that reduce the abundance and variety of dead wood. However, this diverse fauna continues to receive little attention in the southeastern United States even though this region supports some of the most diverse, productive and intensively managed forests in North America. In this replicated three-way factorial experiment, we investigated the habitat associations of saproxylic beetles on the coastal plain of South Carolina. The factors of interest were forest type (upland pine-dominated vs. bottomland hardwood), tree species (Quercus nigra L., Pinus taeda L. and Liquidambar styraciflua L.) and wood posture (standing and downed dead wood, i.e., snags and logs). Wood samples were taken at four positions along each log and snag (lower bole, middle bole, upper bole and crown) ∼11 months after the trees were killed and placed in rearing bags to collect emerging beetles. Overall, 33,457 specimens from 52 families and ≥250 species emerged. Based on an analysis of covariance, with surface area and bark coverage as covariates, saproxylic beetle species richness differed significantly between forest types as well as between wood postures. There were no significant interactions. Species richness was significantly higher in the upland pine-dominated stand than the bottomland hardwood forest, possibly due to higher light exposure and temperature in upland forests. Although L. styraciflua yielded more beetle species (152) than either Q. nigra (122) or P. taeda (125), there were no significant differences in species richness among tree species. There were also no relationships evident between relative tree abundance and observed or expected beetle species richness. Significantly more beetle species emerged from logs than from snags. However snags had a distinct fauna including several potential canopy specialists. Our results suggest that conservation practices that retain or create entire snags as opposed to high stumps or logs alone will most greatly benefit saproxylic beetles in southeastern forests.     

A method for under-bark detection of the wood grain angle radial dependence

Abstract

Twist in wood, being closely related to spiral grain, may cause serious problems in building structures, furniture and joinery. It is therefore of great interest to sort out, at an early stage in the manufacturing process, trees, logs and boards that have an excess of spiral grain. The spiral grain pattern is described by a helical deviation of the fibre direction in relation to the longitudinal direction of a living tree or a log and seems to be an indicator for other defects such as compression wood. Remote microwave sensing of spiral grain has received a lot of interest during the past two decades. Its development has been impeded by the large variation with moisture content of the microwave properties of wood and by the complexity in modelling the electromagnetic field in a log with spiral grain. A review is presented of a direct method with no requirement for information on moisture content for boards. This procedure has recently been generalized to cylindrical logs and trees having a constant slope of the grain. A further generalization is presented here to allow for the normal spiral grain pattern with radially changing slope of grain in wood under bark. Based on this theory, a measurement procedure is proposed for the detection of wood grain angle with radial dependence, requiring no information on moisture content in the sapwood, which is also applicable to completely or partially frozen wood. A suitable application would be an instrument to use in the forest for measurements on living trees or logs.     

Decomposition of stumps in a chronosequence after clear-felling vs. clear-felling with prescribed burning in a southern boreal forest in Finland

The wood bulk density, bark mass and decomposition rate constants of cut stumps of the main European boreal tree species were assessed along a 40-year chronosequence of clear-felled sites with and without prescribed burning. Using the single exponential model, the annual decomposition rate constants k of above-ground stumps were calculated as 0.048, 0.052 and 0.068 year⁻¹ for Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), Norway spruce (Picea abies) and birch (Betula sp.), respectively. Bark decomposed faster than wood and bark fragmentation increased the rate of decomposition. There was a significant negative effect of burning on decomposition rate for pine wood, and for pine and spruce bark but not for spruce and birch wood or for birch bark. The decomposition of bark of all species was slower with larger diameter stumps but only slightly slower in the case of birch wood. Our results suggest (i) using different decomposition rate constants for wood and bark, (ii) taking into account fragmentation as it greatly increases the volume loss, and (iii) adjusting of k in carbon dynamics studies on burned sites. Such refinements to estimates of coarse woody debris decomposition constants could aid in identification of ecosystems and management scenarios necessary to maximize carbon storage and conserve biodiversity. Prescribed burning for restoration purposes decreases decomposition rates and consequently ensures longer persistence of stumps for maintaining biodiversity in intensively managed forests.