Variation in wood properties of six natural acacia hybrid clones in northern Vietnam

Wood properties of six 8-year-old natural acacia hybrid clones between Acacia mangium and Acacia auriculiformis, planted in Bavi, Vietnam, were studied. The hybrid clones possessed obvious heterosis in growth and in some wood properties. The characteristics of growth, air-dry specific gravity, lengths of fibers and vessel elements, S₂ microfibril angle, green moisture content, and shrinkage were examined to clarify the variation among clones. From the results, the differences among the clones in growth and in some wood properties were significant. The pattern of distribution of specific gravity showed that there were low and high specific gravity zones in the stem. Specific gravity at stump height or at 3.0 m was useful for prediction of specific gravity in the whole tree stem. Moreover, clones with high specific gravity can be predicted at a young age. There was no significant correlation between diameter growth and specific gravity. Of the six clones studied, clone BV5 was selected as the best based on its growth ability and specific gravity. Part of this report was presented at the 57th Annual Meeting of the Japan Wood Research Society, Hiroshima, August 2007     

Degradation of lipophilic wood extractive constituents in Pinus sylvestris by the white-rot fungi Bjerkandera sp. and Trametes versicolor

The white-rot fungi Trametes versicolor and Bjerkandera spp. are among the most frequent decomposers of angiosperm wood in forest ecosystems and in wood products in service. Wood extractives have a major impact on wood properties and wood utilization. This work evaluated the ability of two white-rot fungal strains (Bjerkandera sp. strain BOS55 and T. versicolor strain LaVec94-6) to degrade the main lipophilic extractive constituents in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.). The time course of wood decay and wood extractive degradation was monitored in stationary batch assays incubated for eight weeks. The strains tested eliminated high levels of total resin, 34 to 51% in two weeks. Wood triglycerides were the most readily degraded extractive components (over 93% elimination in only two weeks). Free fatty acids and resin acids, which are potential fungal inhibitors, were also rapidly decomposed by the fungal strains. Sterols were used more slowly, nonetheless, the fungal degradation of this extractive fraction ranged from 50 to 88% after four weeks. Received 19 March 1999     

Radial variations of wood properties of an endangered species, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pinus armandii</Emphasis> var. <Emphasis Type="Italic">amamiana</Emphasis>

A dead tree of Pinus armandii Franch. var. amamiana (Koidz.) Hatusima (abbreviated to PAAm) was obtained from a natural habitat on Tanega-shima Island and various properties of its wood were investigated. Grain angle was measured and soft X-ray analysis was undertaken to obtain the density in each annual ring. Unit shrinkage and dynamic properties were measured by shrinkage, bending, and compression tests. Variations of wood properties in the radial direction, relationships of wood properties to density, and annual ring width were examined. Roughly speaking, variations in the radial direction of the grain angle, twist angle by drying, Young’s modulus and strength in static bending, absorbed energy in impact bending, compressive Young’s modulus, compressive strength, and compressive proportional limit corresponded to the variation of annual ring width. As a result, it was determined that if PAAm is afforested artificially for the purposes of lumber production and conservation, the annual rings of logs should not be too widely spaced. Wood properties of PAAm were similar to those of Japanese black pine (Pinus thunbergii Parl.), which is another representative pine on Tanegashima Island. This study was presented in part at the 56th Annual Meeting of the Japan Wood Research Society, Hiroshima, August 2007     

Physical properties of thinning wood in maritime pine (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Pinus pinaster</Emphasis> Ait.): case study

Forty young trees from a stand of maritime pine in the southern mountains of Galicia, Spain (42°21′N: 8°01′W) were felled to obtain the material required for studying density and shrinkage in clear and small wood specimens. The wood ranged from light to moderately heavy, and the dimensions remained reasonably stable with varying moisture content. The results were consistent with those obtained in previous studies of adult trees, except for axial shrinkage, which was very high and variable in this study. The between-tree variation in wood properties was high considering that the sampled trees came from the same stand. However, the relationships between density and height in the stem were similar in all trees. A general model for the prediction of volumetric shrinkage was developed, with oven-dry density and ring width as predictor variables. The model is feasible for estimation of wood quality in living trees. It is applicable to tree selection for thinning and for genetic improvement of stock.     

Determination of lignin and extractive content of Turkish Pine (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Pinus brutia</Emphasis> Ten.) trees using near infrared spectroscopy and multivariate calibration

Determination of quality parameters such as lignin and extractive content of wood samples by wet chemistry analyses takes a long time. Near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy coupled with multivariate calibration offers a fast and nondestructive alternative to obtain reliable results. However, due to the complexity of the NIR spectra, some wavelength selection is generally required to improve the predictive ability of multivariate calibration methods. Pinus brutia Ten. is the most growing pine species in Turkey. Its rotation period is around 80 years; the forest products industry has widely accepted the use of Pinus brutia Ten. because of its ability to grow on a wide range of sites and its suitability to produce desirable products. Pinus brutia Ten. is widely used in construction, window door panel, floor covering, etc. Determination of lignin and extractive content of wood provides information to tree breeders on when to cut and how much chemicals are needed for the pulping and bleaching process. In this study, 58 samples of Pinus brutia Ten. trees were collected in Isparta region of Turkey, and their lignin and extractive content were determined with standard reference (TAPPI) methods. Then, the same samples were scanned with near-infrared spectrometer between 1,000 and 2,500 nm in diffuse reflectance mode, and multivariate calibration models were built with genetic inverse least squares method for both lignin and extractive content using the concentration information obtained from wet standard reference method. Overall, standard error of calibration (SEC) and standard error of prediction (SEP) ranged between 0.35% (w/w) and 2.40% (w/w).     

Possibility of improvement in fundamental properties of wood of acacia hybrids by artificial hybridization

Growth, specific gravity, and wood fiber length of Acacia mangium, Acacia auriculiformis, artificial acacia hybrid clones, and combinations, which were planted in a trial forest in Bavi, Vietnam, in July 2001, were examined. The radial variations from pith to bark were investigated to clarify the effect of genetic factors on these traits. Superiority of hybrids over their parents ranged from 36.3% to 41.6% for diameter, from 20.0% to 25.3% for height, from 6.9% to 20.7% for specific gravity, and from 6.1% to 12.8% for wood fiber length. The hybrid possessed heterosis in diameter, height, specific gravity, and wood fiber length regardless of whether the female parent was A. mangium or A. auriculiformis. The profiles of wood fiber length and specific gravity in the radial direction were similar for all the trees investigated. Wood fiber length was initially 0.5–0.6 mm near the pith and then increased slowly, finally reaching 1.0–1.2 mm near the bark. The specific gravity of acacia increased from 0.49–0.58 near the pith to 0.63–0.74 near the bark. From a relative distance of 30% from the pith, the specific gravity increased slightly and seemed to be stable. The relations among tree diameter, specific gravity, and wood fiber length were fair and could be represented by positive linear regression formulas. Hybrids for which A. auriculiformis was the female parent and A. mangium was the male parent had a faster growth rate and longer wood fibers than the inverse hybrids. Part of this report was presented at the 6th Pacific Regional Wood Anatomy Conference, Kyoto, Japan, December 2005     

Control of tracheid cross-sectional dimensions in Norway spruce and Scots pine wood raw material

Abstract

Wood properties, including tracheid cross-sectional dimensions, show a large degree of variation. To improve the properties of products made from wood, different methods to control variation have been developed. This study aims to determine the theoretical efficiency of three control strategies: the fractionation of pulped tracheids into earlywood and latewood, the separation of juvenile and mature wood, and sorting of logs according to tree size. The efficiency of each method was studied by first constructing virtual trees from measured tracheid cross-sectional dimensions, then simulating the efficiency of above-mentioned methods. The tracheid dimension data include Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.). The simulations show that separation into earlywood and latewood classes has the highest theoretical efficiency and yields the lowest variances in raw material. Classification into juvenile and mature wood groups is the second most efficient method, and the sorting of logs according to the size class of the tree is the least efficient method. It was also concluded that the variation in cell-wall thickness and radial diameter mainly originates from differences between earlywood and latewood, whereas the variation in tangential diameter mainly originates from differences between mature and juvenile wood.     

Chemical composition of Loblolly pine wood as related to specific gravity,growth rate,and distance from pith

Summary The alpha-cellulose, hemicellulose, holocellulose, lignin, and extractive contents of wood removed from stems of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) and factorially segregated by specific gravity, rings from the pith, and growth rate were determined from sample chips. The independent relationships of each factor with chemical composition are described.

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Zusammenfassung Aus Probespänen von Loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) wurden die alpha-Cellulose, Hemicellulose, Holocellulose, Lignin und Extraktstoffe bestimmt und faktorenanalytisch gegen die Dichte, den Jahrringabstand vom Mark und die Wuchsgeschwindigkeit abgegrenzt. Die gereinigten Beziehungen jedes Faktors zur chemischen Zusammensetzung des Holzes werden beschrieben.In the research reported here, the chemical composition of a sample of loblolly pine wood was analyzed in relation to three readily measured gross wood characteristics: specific gravity, growth rate, and distance from the pith. As in a previous study relating fiber morphology to these three properties [McMillin, 1968], wood was removed from many stems and stratified by two densities and two growth rates at each of three radial positions in the stem. Thus, the factorial design permitted isolation of the independent relationships of each factor with various chemical components. Characterizing wood types in this way is quite distinct from studying variations in the chemical composition of stems.

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The Roy O. Martin Lumber Company, Alexandria, Louisiana, and R. A. Leask and J. Adams, Bauer Bros. Company, Springfield, Ohio, assisted in collecting and preparing the experimental material. D. Bower, Mathematical Statistician, Southern Forest Experiment Station, New Orleans, Louisiana, aided in the statistical interpretation.     

Models for Predicting Wood Properties in Stems of Picea abies and Pinus sylvestris in Sweden

To study and model the variation of wood properties, sample trees were selected from 42 Norway spruce and 20 Scots pine stands covering a wide variation in climatic and site conditions, stand maturation and tree sizes. Plot and tree measurements were followed by sampling wood from different heights in each sample tree and laboratory measurements of wood properties. Mixed linear and non-linear prediction models were developed using diameters, number of annual rings and climatic indices as explanatory variables. The variation in spruce properties explained by these variables was: basic density 50%, latewood content 52%, juvenile wood diameter 85%, heartwood diameter 94% and bark thickness 76%. The corresponding values for pine were 59, 54, 79, 92 and 85%. Random among-tree variance was an important contributor to the remaining variation for density and latewood. In general, only a minor part of the random variation was related to variance between stands. Predictions derived from the models for density and juvenile wood in both species, and heartwood in pine showed good agreement when validated with data sets from two other studies. The resulting models may be used for predicting wood properties in forest planning and in bucking computers in harvesters, provided that the essential information is available.     

Dependence of colour and discolouration on total extractive content of African Padauk and Jatoba

This study is about relationships between total extractive contents, heartwood colour and light-induced discolourations of the tropical species African Padauk (Pterocarpus soyauxii Taub) and Jatoba (Hymenaea courbaril L.). Wood surface colour was measured spectrophotometrically before and after light irradiation. Subsequently, the total extractive content was determined and linked to the colour parameters. Total extractive content varied between 6 % (Jatoba) and 27 % (African Padauk). The fact that non-irradiated Jatoba appeared lighter and more yellow with higher extractives contents, opposed the often assumed relationship that more heartwood extractives cause darker wood. For light-irradiated Jatoba wood only the reddishness was more intense when samples had higher extractive content. In contrast, light-irradiated African Padauk showed significant differences in all colour parameters as extractives varied. High overall colour change in African Padauk due to light irradiation was observed; however, no relationship with the extractive content existed. In contrast, discolouration rate of Jatoba wood strongly varied with its extractive content. Individual wood species react differently during exposure to light and therefore require specific surface treatment to maintain the desired colour appearance and colour stability.     

Inter-clonal, intra-clonal, and single tree variations of wood anatomical properties and specific gravity of clonal ramets of Dalbergia sissoo Roxb.

Inter-clonal, intra-clonal and within tree variations in specific gravity and wood anatomical properties of 8-year-old grown ramets of Dalbergia sissoo Roxb. have been investigated. Radial and location-wise intra-clonal variations were non-significant for anatomical properties and specific gravity for all six clones at all three sites. However, inter-clonal variations in wood anatomical properties and specific gravity were significantly different. Inter-clonal variations in anatomical properties and specific gravity were also significant due to sites, which indicated that site-characteristics overshadowed the genetic priority of different clones for wood anatomical properties. Average fiber-characteristics of all clones showed the best performance at Lalkuan, Haldwani (site III), while average specific gravity performed well at Brandis Road, Dehradun (site I) followed by site III (Lalkuan, Haldwani) and site II (Lachchiwala, Dehradun). Within tree variations in anatomical properties like fiber length, fiber diameter, wall thickness, vessel member length and vessel member diameter due to vertical or radial direction and location (pith to periphery) are non-significant. Radial direction, location and height showed no impact on wood element variation. It indicated that there is no impact of juvenile wood, sapwood and heartwood ratio, and reaction wood on wood anatomical properties of 8-year-old ramet of D. sissoo. It further indicated that clone raised ramet of 8-year-old D. sissoo showed the characteristics of mature wood. Within tree variations in specific gravity were significant due to height, which may be related to differential sapwood and heartwood ratio in the vertical direction. Different wood elements viz. fiber length, fiber diameter, wall thickness, vessel member length and vessel member diameter showed significant correlations with each other and with specific gravity.     

Growth and wood quality of sugi (Cryptomeria japonica) planted in Akita prefecture (II). Juvenile/mature wood determination of aged trees

Variations of certain anatomical and mechanical indices within tree stems of aged sugi (Cryptomeria japonica) trees planted in Akita prefecture were studied. The determination of the juvenile/mature wood boundary was also discussed, and the effects of wood structure on mechanical properties were investigated. On the basis of radial and vertical variation of the anatomical and mechanical indices, modulus of elasticity (MOE)/ shear modulus (G) was chosen as the index for determining the juvenile/mature wood boundary. The increase rates of MOE/G at the points of 1%, 2%, and 3% were discussed. It was found that for aged trees, all three points were thought to be effective for dividing juvenile and mature wood. However, for younger trees, the point of 2% was recommended, which was mostly consistent with the result obtained by the increase rate of 1% for tracheid length (TL). Among mechanical properties, the MOE showed more significant juvenile/mature wood differences than did modulus of rupture (MOR) and . By correlation analysis, it was suggested that microfibril angle largely contributed to the indices of MOE and G, and specific gravity largely contributed to the indices of MOR and .Part of this report was presented at the 53rd Annual Meeting of the Japan Wood Research Society, Fukuoka, March 2003     

Rapid prediction of wood crystallinity in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pinus elliotii</Emphasis> plantation wood by near-infrared spectroscopy

Crystallinity is an important property of woody materials; it responds to tree growth traits, structure, and chemical composition, and has a significant effect on Young’s modulus, dimensional stability, density, and hardness, etc. The ability of near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy coupled with multivariate analysis to rapidly predict the crystallinity of slash pine (Pinus elliotii) plantation wood was investigated. The results showed that the NIR data could be correlated with the X-ray diffraction (XRD)-determined crystallinity of slash pine wood by use of partial least squares (PLS) regression, producing excellent coefficients of determination, r ², and root mean square error of calibration, RMSEC. The use of either reduced spectral ranges or the selection of certain wavelengths consistent with known chemical absorptions did not have any detrimental effect on the quality of PLS models allowing the use of inexpensive, small, and portable spectrometers. These studies show that NIR spectroscopy can be used to rapidly predict the crystallinity of slash pine wood.     

The characterization of wetwood in western hemlock

Summary One of the problem areas in the kiln drying of western hemlock lumber is the wide variation in final moisture content of the wood. This variation in moisture content is due to the presence of sinker or wetwood in the heartwood. The features of wetwood which differentiate it from the normal heartwood include higher specific gravity, higher extractives content, and lower permeability. The apparent higher specific gravity can be fully accounted for by the higher extractives content. The principial extractive is α-conidendrin. The wetwood in western hemlock often occurs together with ring shake and under these circumstances the white deposit on the shake surfaces is also α-conidendrin and not matairesinol, the substance usually associated with ring shake in western hemlock. A viewpoint is presented on the origin of wetwood as the endproduct of a reaction by the tree to injury, i.e., ring shake, in which additional extractives are deposited. The extractives result in a greatly lowered permeability, which prevents loss of moisture during heartwood formation and thereby resulting in wetwood. Bacteria usually found in wetwood and responsible for many of the symptoms associated with wetwood are a result of the high moisture content which favors bacterial growth in wood. Presumably, the two primary sources of loss in kiln drying of western hemlock, shake and wetwood, are often intimately associated. The authors appreciate the assistance of Allen H. Doerksen and Louis W. Hamlin of the Forest Research Laboratory. All samples collected for this study were donated by Willamette Industries, Inc., Dallas, Oregon, and a portion of the research was supported by the Forest Research Laboratory, Oregon State University.     

Stiffness and wood variation of 3-year old<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Pinus radiata</Emphasis> clones

The objective of this study was to explore wood variation, especially modulus of elasticity ( moe), density, and microfibril angle ( mfa), in a three-year old Pinus radiata tree clone trial. Moreover, the study examined the potential for genetic selection of radiata pine clones with high moe using current acoustic technology. The clone selection criteria were based on growth traits, basic density, and sound velocity indices to mirror the range in wood density and moe amongst c. 1000 clones. The selected 22 clones, represented by two trees each, were measured for moe, spiral grain, wood density, compression wood percentage, and mfa. Good agreement was found between static moe and dynamic moe. Both static and dynamic moe measurements were found to be primarily dependent on mfa (clonal range 28–39 degrees). Although wood density (clonal range 300–400 kg/m³) did not have a significant influence on moe alone, it was significant in combination with mfa. Compression wood tended to reduce moe and inflate wood density. The opportunities for genetic selection of radiata clones with high stiffness seem promising as the 22 selected clones exhibited a two-fold range of static moe (2.2–4.7 GPa) and the clonal heritabilities ( ) for moe, density and mfa were high.     

Coniferous wood quality in the future: concerns and strategies

Summary As the raw material base for forest products manufacturing shifts from old-growth to short-rotation plantation stock, the wood from these younger trees will contain larger proportions of juvenile wood. This in turn will influence the quality of forest products obtained. The pattern of specific gravity variation in these trees, which varies among the five most important Pacific Northwest species groups, is reviewed, and the nature of their differences is related to growth habit. The shade intolerance of some species is speculated to manifest itself in an early culmination of annual height inrement, after which specific gravity increases rapidly to a maximum. This is contrasted to shade-tolerant species, in which specific gravity may take several decades to attain a minimum value, followed by only moderate increases thereafter. In addition, faster growth rates in widely spaced plantation trees tend to depress specific gravity and advance the age at which these trees reach their minimum value, thereby compounding the overall wood density of deficit of short-rotation trees.Lower specific gravity, compounded with reduced lignin content in juvenile wood, negatively influences kraft pulp yield, but not pulp quality parameters such as sheet density, burst and tensile strength. Reduced wood density, coupled with larger fibril angles in juvenile wood, reduces average strength and stiffness of lumber from younger plantation trees. Mechanical stress rating needs to be adopted to segregate the strong, stiff material for engineered construction uses, because a large proportion of visually graded lumber from juvenile wood zones will not meet currently assigned stress values. Mechanical stress rating can ensure a continued stream of appropriate engineering grades from future tree supplies.I am indebted to Professor Simon Ellis of the Department of Wood Science, Faculty of Forestry, University of B.C., for providing data on mechanical tests of western hemlockAcademy Lecture presented at the 40th Anniversary Annual Meeting of the Japan Wood Research Society, April, 1995, in Tokyo     

A mid-IR multivariate analysis study on the gross calorific value in longleaf pine: impact on correlations with lignin and extractive contents

Twenty 70-year-old longleaf pine trees from a spacing, thinning, and pruning study were harvested, from which samples were analyzed for gross calorific value (GCV). A strong correlation was found between GCV and extractive contents for the unextracted wood samples. Although lignin content should impact GCV, no correlation was found between the variation in GCV with lignin content for the extractive-free wood samples. Mid-IR spectroscopy coupled with multivariate analysis provided strong correlations between the mid-IR-predicted and calorimetry-determined values for the unextracted wood samples. Plotting the regression coefficients for GCV and extractive contents showed that the same mid-IR bands were responsible for the strength of these models. Spectral differences were observed between the different extract samples, and relative peak intensities appeared to be dependent upon the extractive contents from the wood samples. Thus, models were also built based on the corresponding wood extractive contents using the actual extracts. These provided good correlations, suggesting a proportional change in extractive compositions coinciding with the total amount of extractives present in the unextracted wood samples.     

马尾松优树子代材性的初步研究

本文通过对４３个马尾松优树子代１０年生时的材性进行初步分析,结果表明：（１）木材相对密度在家系间存在显著的差异,而纤维素含量则差异不显著;（２）对马尾松材性的选择,除了应利用家系间差异外,还应注重家系内个体间的选择;（３）进行马尾松纸浆材家系选择时,应以生长量为主、材性为辅。     

Effect of growing site on the fundamental wood properties of natural hybrid clones of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Acacia</Emphasis> in Vietnam

We investigated clonal and site variations in wood fiber length, microfibril angle, and specific gravity of seven natural hybrid clones of Acacia (Acacia mangium × Acacia auriculiformis) grown in northern and southern Vietnam. Fiber length did not differ between clones or between sites. The microfibril angle of the S₂ layer did not significantly differ between clones but significantly differed between sites. Clone and site significantly affected specific gravity. The significant effects of genetic × environmental interactions on wood properties indicated the difference in the response of clones to different growing conditions. The trends of changes in fiber length, microfibril angle, and specific gravity from the vicinity of the pith to near the bark were similar for all clones at each site; however, variations in fiber length, microfibril angle, and specific gravity were more visible in northern Vietnam than in southern Vietnam, with a significant effect of genetic factors. This difference may be attributable to winter, which is experienced in northern Vietnam but not in southern Vietnam. For clone selection for plantation in the northern region, combining growth rate with wood properties was recommended. On the other hand, for plantation in the southern region, clone selection depends mainly on the growth rate, taking into consideration the specific gravity.