Evaluation of thermally modified beech and spruce wood and their properties by FT-NIR spectroscopy

Quality assessment of thermally modified spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst) and beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) wood and of the corresponding reference samples was carried out by means of non-destructive FT-NIR spectroscopic measurements and PLS regression. Oven-dry and basic density as well as MOE and MOR determined by 3-point bending tests were evaluated. The focus was put on specimens produced from material that had been thermally modified in an industrial scale kiln. Modelling results range from poor to very good. The results of the spectra taken from the spruce samples resulted in better prediction results than the spectra of the beech samples. This could be due to different proveniences or variation in the industrial modification process. The results indicate that FT-NIR surface measurements of sound thermally modified wood samples could be applied to evaluate several characteristics before and after the modification process. The method could be used for screening during pre-sorting of thermally modified wood.     

Fracturing of wood under superimposed tension and torsion

A testing method using circumferentially notched round bars for investigating mixed mode behaviour under loading in tension and torsion is applied to wood. The applicability of the method to anisotropic materials is investigated for two types of wood, beech and spruce, considering the longitudinal and radial orientation with respect to the stem axis of the tree. The strong anisotropy of wood requires different evaluation procedures for radial and longitudinal sample orientation. The K-concept of linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) and concepts of non-linear elastic fracture mechanics (NLEFM) were used for the evaluation of radial and longitudinal samples, respectively. Differences between the investigated wood types under radial orientation, in their durability to withstand torsional loads, could be observed by examining ratios of the values of the fracture toughness in mode III against mode I. Micrographs of the fracture surfaces support the assumption that the higher amount of wood rays in beech is responsible for the higher toughness under torsion. In case of longitudinal specimen geometry it was found that at very high levels of torsional deformation beech and spruce reach similar values in their specific fracture energy in mode I.     

Performance of a small-scale chipper for professional rural contractors

The study determined the productivity, fuel consumption and product quality obtained with a new tractor OWered drum chipper, designed to reduce the gap between industrial chippers and small-scale chippers. The machine as tested with poplar logs and beech slabs, considered as representative of the raw material commonly used for ergy wood production. After accounting for accessory work and delays, productivity of green chips ranged between and 6 tons per scheduled machine hour, which was very good for a tractor-powered unit. Specific fuel consumption f oven-dry chips varied between 2.5 and 3.0 L per ton, or 0.6 L per m_3. These figures compared favourably with those btained from previous studies of both smaller and bigger chippers. Chip quality was very good. Samples contained no versize particles, qualifying for use in small-scale plants. The average size of beech chips was significantly larger than r poplar chips, possibly due to the higher strength of beech wood.     

Characterization of lignin-carbohydrate linkages in the residual lignins isolated from chemical pulps of spruce (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Picea abies</Emphasis>) and beech wood (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Fagus sylvatica</Emphasis>)

To investigate the linkage types between carbohydrates and lignin, residual lignins were isolated from three different unbleached pulps [kraft, alkaline sulfite anthraquinone methanol (ASAM), and soda with anthraquinone (AQ) and methanol] of spruce and beech wood and then characterized by oxidation with 2,3-Dichloro-5,6-dicyanobenzoquinone and followed by Prehm’s methylation. In residual lignins, sugar moieties were bound to lignins via benzyl ether bonds. In particular, galactose and mannose are predominantly linked to lignin fragments in residual lignins of spruce wood, while xylose and galactose are favored in the formation of LC bonds in the residual lignins of beech wood. In the case of hexoses, primary hydroxyl groups (C6 position) preferentially take part in benzyl ether linkages. Hydroxyl groups in the C2 and C3 positions of xylose participate in LC bonds and a small portion of arabinose was notably connected to lignin via the C5 position. Approximately seven or eight sugars were connected in soda/AQ/methanol residual lignin per 100 C9 lignin units, while the frequencies of LC bonds in kraft and ASAM residual lignins were distinctively less at one to three sugars per 100 C9 lignin units. The publication of this article was made possible by an Emachu Research Fund. The authors are grateful for the fund.     

Microstructure,strength and structural integrity of heat-treated beech and spruce wood

Abstract

Heat treatment of wood is an effective method by which to improve the dimensional stability and biological durability, but the mechanical strength is decreased at the same time. Besides chemical modification of cell-wall constituents, physical weakening of the microstructure owing to heat-induced defects may also contribute to strength loss. Therefore, anatomical properties of heat-treated beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) and spruce (Picea abies Karst.), studied by light microscopic and scanning electron microscopic analysis, and their interrelation with strength properties and structural integrity were investigated. For determination of structural integrity, the high-energy–multiple-impact (HEMI) test was applied. Microscopic analyses showed frequent formation of radial cracks in heat-treated beech close to the rays as well as tangential cracks in the latewood of spruce. In addition, the modulus of rupture was more affected by the heat treatments than the resistance to impact milling (RIM) determined by the HEMI test, because RIM is based on multiple fractures on the microlevel that are not affected by the formation of intercellular cracks or other defects due to the heat treatment. It was concluded that heat-induced defects in the wood microstructure contribute to the substantial strength loss of thermally modified timber.     

用红外光谱分析刨花蒸汽处理后成分的变化

用红外光谱法分析了云杉和白桦刨化蒸汽处埋后成分的变化。红外谱图不出了蒸汽处埋后刨花中的半纤维素和羟基比未处理的减少了,这是蒸汽处理改善刨花板尺寸稳定性的主要原因。红外谱图还示出了在同样的蒸汽处理条件下,白桦中半纤维素和羟基的减少程度大于云杉的减少程度,因此蒸汽处理后白桦刨花板尺寸稳定性的改善程度大于云杉刨花板的改善程度。     

Prediction of the optimum veneer drying temperature for good bonding in plywood manufacturing by means of artificial neural network

Veneer drying is one of the most important stages in the manufacturing of veneer-based composites such as plywood and laminated veneer lumber. Due to the high drying costs, increased temperatures are being used commonly in plywood industry to reduce the overall drying time and increase capacity. However, high drying temperatures can alter some physical, mechanical and chemical characteristics of wood and cause some drying-related defects. In this study, it was attempted to predict the optimum drying temperature for beech and spruce veneers via artificial neural network modeling for optimum bonding. Therefore, bonding shear strength values of plywood panels manufactured from beech and spruce veneers dried at temperatures of 20, 110, 150 and 180 °C were obtained experimentally. Then, the intermediate bond strength values based on veneer drying temperatures were predicted by artificial neural network modeling, and the values not measured experimentally were evaluated. The optimum drying temperature values that yielded the highest bonding strength were obtained as 169 °C for urea formaldehyde and 125 °C for phenol formaldehyde adhesive in beech plywood panels, while 162 °C for urea formaldehyde and 151 °C for phenol formaldehyde in spruce plywood panels.     

Moisture diffusion coefficient of reaction woods: compression wood of Picea abies L. and tension wood of Fagus sylvatica L.

The moisture diffusion coefficient of compression wood in spruce (P. abies) and tension wood in beech (F. sylvatica) was examined. The results indicated that the diffusion coefficient measured under steady-state condition (cup method) could well characterize the drying kinetics of the reaction woods. The compression wood offered more resistance to the moisture diffusivity when compared with the corresponding normal wood. The thick cell wall rich in lignin explains the small mass diffusivity in compression wood. In contrast, the mass diffusivity in beech is almost always higher in tension wood than in normal wood, in spite of similar density values. The high moisture diffusion in tension wood can be explained by the ease of bound water diffusion in the gelatinous layers (G-layers).     

Litter impair spruce seedling emergence in beech forests: a litter manipulation experiment

European beech Fagus sylvatica and Norway spruce Picea abies are economically and ecologically important forest trees in large parts of Europe. Today, the beech forest reaches its northern distribution limit in south-eastern Norway and it is expected to expand northwards due to climate warming. This expansion will likely result in fundamental ecosystem changes. To increase our knowledge about the competitive balance between spruce and beech, we have investigated how beech and spruce litter affect spruce seedling emergence, growth and uptake of C and N. We did this in a seed-sowing experiment that included litter layer removal as well as reciprocal transplantations of litter layers between spruce and beech forests. Our results show that spruce seedling emergence was significantly impaired by both litter layer types, and especially so by the beech litter layer in the beech forest. The low seedling emergence in beech forests is concurrent with their lower light availability.     

Analysis of acetylated wood by electron microscopy

The properties of acetylated solid wood were investigated earlier, in particular the anti-shrink efficiency and the resistance against decay. This study focuses on the possible changes and damage to the wood structure due to an acetylation process leading to weight per cent gains of up to 20%. Electron microscopy (SEM and TEM) was used to investigate the fine structure of acetylated beech, pine and spruce. Cell wall swelling was observed, but no evidence of damage could be seen as a result of the acetylation procedure. The fine structure of the wood tissue such as the pits and the thin parenchyma walls appeared untouched.     

Investigations on the influence of wood-inhabiting bacteria on the pH-value in trees

Regardless of their isolation origin, bacteria from wetwood of fir and poplar, from polluted beech and spruce trees, and from discoloured timber of Ilomba, acidified aerobically glucose-rich substrates by organic acid production and increased the pH of protein media by ammonia. The pH-changes occurred in laboratory nutrient media and also in the physiologically characterized capillary liquids and wood flours of fir, poplar and spruce.     

Effect of severe thermal treatment on spruce and beech wood lignins

? The structure, proportion and mode of assembly of lignin, celluloses and hemicelluloses have marked effects on the reaction mechanisms during thermal treatment and therefore have a strong influence on the quality of the final product. The effect of treatment conditions, including severe conditions (up to 553 K) and treatment duration (up to 8 h) on the structure of native spruce and beech lignins was studied.

? Lignin content was determined by the Klason method and lignin structure was evaluated by thioacidolysis.

? The results highlighted the strong reactivity of the native spruce and beech lignins towards severe heat treatments. The distinct susceptibility of syringyl (S) and guaiacyl (G) units towards thermal treatment is confirmed by comparing the data for beech and spruce samples. The most severe treatment of spruce wood (280 °C) induced a dramatic enrichment in lignin content together with the almost complete disappearance of G lignin units, whereas a more moderate treatment substantially changed lignin structure by degradation reactions that affect the p-hydroxyphenyl (H) and G lignin units similarly.

? Thioacidolysis revealed that the thermal treatment induces the appearance of vinyl ether structures in spruce lignins. The decreased yield of the G and S thioacidolysis monomers reflects the progressive disappearance of G and S lignin units only involved in β-O-4 bonds and the formation of condensed linkages in proportions related to treatment severity. In severe conditions, β-O-4 linked S units are more degraded than their G homologues.

     

Carbon stocks and net ecosystem production changes with time in two Italian forest chronosequences

Forest management influences several ecosystem processes, including carbon exchange between forest ecosystem and atmosphere. The aim of this paper was to study the carbon cycle over different age classes of two managed forests in the Italian Alps through direct measurements and modelling. For this purpose, ecosystem carbon dynamics of a beech forest (Fagus sylvatica L.) and of a spruce forest (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) were investigated using a chronosequence approach. In both forests, five forest development stages were identified (thicket, pole wood, young forest, mature forest and the regeneration phase) with an age spanning from 42 to 163?years for the beech forest and from 35 to 161?years for the spruce forest. Measured total ecosystem carbon stock increased up to 80–100?years, with a mean of 232?MgC?ha^?1 in the beech forest and of 299?MgC?ha^?1 in the spruce forest. Calculated net ecosystem production (NEP) was found to decrease linearly with age and had an average value of 2.2 and 4.4?MgC?ha^?1?year^?1 for beech and spruce forest, respectively. Model simulations reported an increase in NEP till 50–60?years followed by a decrease thereafter. The model also predicted a negative NEP for a short period (8–11?years) after the seed cut. Aboveground biomass was the main driver of carbon accumulation while soil carbon was not significantly influenced by both age and management system. Moreover, measured data and model showed that the applied shelterwood system allowed for a rapid recovery of the ecosystem after the disturbance (i.e. seed cut), bringing back forest to act as C sink in few years.     

Age determination of coarse woody debris with radiocarbon analysis and dendrochronological cross-dating

To study the decay of coarse woody debris (CWD) in forest ecosystems, it is necessary to determine the time elapsed since tree death, which is difficult at advanced decay stages. Here, we compare two methods for age determination of CWD logs, dendrochronological cross-dating and radiocarbon analysis of the outermost tree ring. The methods were compared using samples from logs of European beech, Norway spruce and Sessile oak decomposing in situ at three different forest sites. For dendrochronological cross-dating, we prepared wood discs with diameters of 10–80 cm. For radiocarbon analysis, cellulose was isolated from shavings of the outermost tree rings. There was an overall good agreement between time of death determined by the two methods with median difference of 1 year. The uncertainty of age determination by the radiocarbon approach did not increase with decreasing carbon density, despite incomplete separation of chitin from the extracted cellulose. Fungal chitin has the potential to alter the radiocarbon signature of tree rings as the carbon for chitin synthesis originates from different sources. Significant correlations between year of tree death and carbon density of wood were found for beech and spruce, but not for oak due to relatively small decreases in carbon density within 50–60 years. Total residence times of CWD were calculated from these correlations and revealed 24 years for beech and 62 years for spruce. The uncertainty of total residence times results mainly from huge natural variability in carbon density of CWD rather than uncertainty in the age determination. The results suggest that both methods are suitable for age determination of CWD.     

高压蒸汽处理对刨花表面自由基浓度的影响

本研究探索高压饱和蒸汽处理刨花对刨花表面自由基浓度的影响。研究中对云杉和桦木两种刨花经不同蒸汽压力和不同时间处理后的ESR图谱进行了分析。结果表明:不论是桦木还是云杉刨花,用1.275N/mm~2压力的饱和蒸汽处理5min后,刨花表面自由基浓度均大于未经蒸汽处理的刨花;用蒸汽处理后的刨花制板,在板的各项性能满足国标一等板要求的前提下能减少施胶量2%,而且板材吸水厚度膨胀率也有明显改善。其原因之一就是由于刨花表面自由基浓度的变化。     

Spatial and temporal patterns in seed predation as revealed by reciprocal experiments and video surveillance in neighbouring beech and spruce forests

European beech and Norway spruce are late successional and competitive species meeting each other in southern Norway. Beech is predicted to expand northwards with increased temperature, implying increased competition between the two tree species. Seed survival is a key process in this competition and here we estimate detection times and predation rates of beech and spruce seeds in adjacent beech and spruce forests by combining quantitative and qualitative approaches based on reciprocal seed predation experiments and video surveillance. These experiments were repeated over two growing seasons, and by using a video-surveillance technique, we were able to precisely reveal seed detection times and high seed predation rates, up to 15 seeds?min^?1, with bank vole and chaffinch as main predators. Moreover, the two main predators were different in their seed preferences, that is, beech seeds were exclusively removed or predated by the vole, while the finch consumed spruce seeds only. As we show high predation rates, even small variations in seed predator population densities would impact the regeneration success of beech and spruce. Because the highest predation rates were recorded for spruce seeds, it is likely that this will alter the competitive balance between the two tree species in favour of beech.     

Bending characteristics of bamboo (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Phyllostachys pubescens</Emphasis>) with respect to its fiber–foam composite structure

The bending properties of split bamboo culm were compared with those of spruce and beech wood specimens. The bamboo allowed large flexural deformation since its outer layer retains the tensile stress while the softer inner layer undergoes large compressive deformation. The results suggested that the combination of the fiber-rich outer part and the compressible inner part was responsible for the flexural ductility of split bamboo. To clarify the compressible nature of the inner part of bamboo, the longitudinal surfaces of the bamboo and wood specimens were microscopically observed before and after a large longitudinal compression. Although the wood specimens showed serious and localized buckling, the inner part of the bamboo specimens showed no such visible buckling. In the latter case, the foam-like parenchyma cells absorbed the large compressive deformation by their microscopic buckling and simultaneously, the alignment of sclerenchyma fibers was maintained by the surrounding parenchyma matrix. The flexural elasticity of the bamboo was compared to that of the wood in respect of remaining strain during cyclic bending tests. No clear difference was recognized between their remaining strains. This fact indicated that the bamboo was not so flexible elastically, although its fiber–foam combination and intelligent fiber distribution improve flexural ductility.     

Classification of thermally modified wood by FT-NIR spectroscopy and SIMCA

Quality assessment of thermally modified wood has evolved as one of the major fields in the research on thermal modification of wood. This study investigates NIR spectroscopy in combination with the pattern recognition method of soft independent modeling of class analogies (SIMCA). Focus is put on identifying different treatment intensities of thermally modified samples of beech, ash, and Norway spruce. The results indicate that SIMCA classification based on NIR spectroscopy could be used for quality control of thermally modified wood. The method might be applicable for producers (pre-delivery checks) and customers (reception control). However, transfer from laboratory to industrial conditions needs further investigation.     

Climate change impacts on stand structure and competitive interactions in a southern Swedish spruce–beech forest

It is believed that European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) will increase its competitive ability at its northern range margin in Scandinavia due to climate change. In mixed old-growth forests of beech and Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) at Siggaboda nature reserve (southern Sweden), stand structure characteristics were sequentially recorded in the years 2004, 2005 and 2007 as well as growth in stem diameter using tree-coring analyses. Using these measurements, we studied the effects on stand dynamics of an extreme storm event (2005 “Gudrun” hurricane), drought and heat (mid-summer 2006, spring 2007) and subsequent bark beetle attacks on spruce (growing season 2007), overlaid with warming tendencies. The storm, which caused disastrous damage in many stands nearby, had comparatively little impact on the structure of the spruce–beech stand. All together, only 32 trees (19 spruces, 10 beeches, 3 other species) per hectare were thrown or broken mainly in the leeward direction (NE) or impacted by secondary damage by uprooted neighbour trees; this represents 7% of the total tree number and 11% of the growing stock. Diameter and height structure did not change significantly. However, the 2006 drought and the 2007 attack of biotic agents changed the stand structure and composition strongly due to the death of about 19% of the dominating older spruce trees that accounted for 35% of total stand volume. This resulted in a considerable increase in beech’s contribution to stem number (4% increase) and wood volume of the living stand (7% increase). A comparison of diameter growth of beech and spruce during the periods 1894–1949 and 1950–2005 showed a distinct decrease in growth superiority of spruce during the last 50 years. These results support the idea of a northward migration of European beech as a nemoral tree species in Sweden, due to a higher tolerance to the abiotic and biotic threats accompanying climate change and an increased competitive ability compared to boreal tree species Norway spruce.     

A novel method for monitoring real-time curing behaviour

A new method for monitoring real-time curing behaviour of adhesives by means of a rheometer is presented. This method was developed within a study to characterize the curing behaviour of MUF adhesives on beech and ash, both with and without coloured heartwood, as well as on Douglas fir and spruce. During closed assembly time, the decrease in a predefined adhesive layer, caused by the penetration of adhesive and solvents into the wood, can be monitored. Furthermore, the progress of curing can be determined and assessed after predefined closed assembly times. The maximum tensile force and the dissipated energy required for separating assembled adherends allow for characterizing hardening of adhesive systems. First results suggest that this is a promising method contributing to a better understanding of the curing process and how it is influenced by wood species.