Genetic Variation and the Effect of Herbicide and Fertilization Treatments on Wood Quality Traits in Loblolly Pine

The effect of silvicultural treatments (herbicide, fertilization, herbicide + fertilization) and the interactions with genetic effects were investigated for wood quality traits in a 16-year-old loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) genetic test established in southwest Georgia, USA. Fertilizer and herbicide treatment combinations were applied multiple times to main plots containing twenty-five open-pollinated families as sub plots. Significant differences among treatments were found for all traits. Squared acoustic velocity, used as a surrogate for wood stiffness, was higher in herbicide-only plots compared with other treatments. Wood density was considerably lower in fertilization plots. A large proportion of variance observed for wood quality traits was explained by additive genetic effects, with individual-tree heritabilities ranging from 0.78 (ring 7–16 section wood density) to 0.28 (ring 2–6 section wood density). Corresponding family-mean heritability values were well over 0.86. Genotype-by-treatment interactions were nonsignificant for all traits, indicating no need to match families to silvicultural treatments. Wood quality traits had weak genetic correlations with growth and stem quality traits (stem slenderness, sweep, and branch angle) with a range of −0.33 to 0.43, suggesting that recurrent selection on growth or stem quality traits would not adversely affect wood quality in loblolly pine. Study Implications: Silvicultural treatments of herbicide, fertilization, and their combination had significant effects on wood stiffness and wood density in a 16-year-old loblolly pine genetics-by-silviculture trial. When fertilizer was applied, wood density decreased, but the impact on stiffness was minimal. The herbicide treatment increased wood stiffness. As expected, there were large genetic differences for wood quality traits and growth and stem quality traits. Genetics-by-silvicultural treatment interactions were not significant for wood quality traits; family rankings were quite stable across cultural regimes. Families that performed well under one silvicultural treatment performed well under all treatments.

Predicting wood stiffness of lodgepole pine trees using acoustic tools and green density

Upstream identification of wood properties using non-destructive testing methods such as acoustic velocity (AV) measurements is important for optimizing allocation of wood to mills or products. We evaluated the effectiveness of field AV measurement tools in predicting lodgepole pine wood stiffness (modulus of elasticity, MOE) as measured by Silviscan on wood samples. AV was measured on trees and logs from six sites in Alberta and British Columbia. We evaluated the effect on MOE estimation of calculating averages of the adjustment factor k and of green density (GD) at different spatial scales from individual tree to population. The effect of using forest inventory variables on MOE prediction were also examined. Prediction of tree-level MOE from tree-level measurements of AV, k and GD resulted in R2 values of 0.59. Using estimates of k and GD averaged at plot, site or population scales significantly diminished the R2 of the MOE predictions at tree level. Predicting MOE at plot or stand level from corresponding averages of AV, k and GD gave R2 values >0.8. Including inventory variables in tree-level MOE predictions increased the R2 to 0.62. AV measurements can give operationally useful estimates of MOE in lodgepole pine trees at the stand level.

Modelling variation in wood stiffness of Pinus ponderosa using static bending and acoustic measurements

Wood removed in Southwestern US forest restoration treatments currently has limited markets and thus low value. One important property of wood in structural products is its stiffness (measured as modulus of elasticity), which is known to vary systematically within trees. Directly measuring wood stiffness is expensive, time consuming and destructive. Therefore, we tested samples of ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa var. scopulorum Engelm.) from northern Arizona destructively in bending and also non-destructively using acoustic velocity (AV) methods. In total, we tested multiple pith-to-bark small clear (2.54 × 2.54 × 40.64 cm) samples from up to four heights in 103 trees. We first measured the standing-tree AV of sample trees, then the AV of small clear samples, and finally measured wood stiffness using three point static bending tests. We found that a Michaelis–Menten curve was a good fit to the radial profile of wood stiffness, with a steep increase outward from the pith that approached an asymptote. The AV of small clear samples, coupled with measured volumetric density values, approximated the static modulus of elasticity values with high accuracy (r2 = 0.86). At the stand level, a model predicting standing tree AV from tree morphology fit the data well (r2 = 0.77). Results indicate that southwestern ponderosa pine contains outerwood with relatively high stiffness that could be suitable for structural products. However, when assessed using wood stiffness, the trees take a long time to reach maturity (~50 years) and thus the corewood proportion is large. AV measurements are a good way to assess variability within and among stands and thus could be employed to segregate the resource by expected stiffness values. Segregation could help identify stands not suitable for structural uses and direct them toward more appropriate products.

Frequency-dependent viscoelastic properties of Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata) under hygrothermal conditions. Part 2: moisture desorption

The frequency-dependent viscoelasticity of Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata) during moisture desorption was investigated and the applicability of the time-moisture superposition (TMS) relation on wood stiffness and damping during the moisture desorption was verified. The hygrothermal conditions for the moisture desorption were set up as six constant temperatures ranging from 30 to 80°C and three relative humidity (RH) levels at 0, 30 and 60%. Due to the elimination of water during the moisture desorption, the stiffness of the Chinese fir increased, whereas the damping decreased. With the increase in frequency, increased stiffness and decreased damping were observed. Utilizing the TMS relation, it was possible to construct master curves of wood stiffness at temperatures ranging from 30 to 80°C. The linear relationship between the shift factor and the moisture content (MC) manifested a low intermolecular cooperativity between the polymers and a narrow relaxation window. However, the TMS relation was not able to predict the wood damping properties during the moisture desorption, because wood is a multi-relaxation system. The non-proportional relationship between the free volume and MC during the moisture desorption may also explain why the TMS relation failed to construct master curves of the wood damping properties.

Frequency-dependent viscoelastic properties of Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata) under hygrothermal conditions. Part 1: moisture adsorption

To elucidate the frequency-dependent viscoelasticity of wood under a moisture non-equilibrium state, changes in stiffness and damping as a function of frequency were investigated during the moisture adsorption process. The moisture adsorption processes were carried out at six temperatures (30–80°C) and three relative humidity levels (30, 60 and 90% RH). During the moisture adsorption process, the wood stiffness decreased, and damping increased with the increment of moisture content (MC). Regardless of the moisture adsorption time, the wood stiffness increased, and damping decreased with the increasing testing frequency. Based on the re-organized Williams-Landel-Ferry (WLF) model, the time-moisture superposition (TMS) relation was assumed to be applicable for developing a master curve of wood stiffness during the moisture adsorption process. The frequency ranges of the stiffness master curves spanned from 16 to 23 orders of magnitude at temperatures ranging from 30 to 80°C. However, the TMS relation was not able to predict the wood damping properties during the moisture adsorption process due to the multi-relaxation system of the wood and the non-proportional relationship between free volume and MC at transient moisture conditions.

Non-Destructive Assessment of Wood Stiffness in Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and its Use in Forest Tree Improvement

Wood stiffness is an important wood mechanical property that predetermines the suitability of sawn timber for construction purposes. Negative genetic correlations between wood stiffness and growth traits have, however, been reported for many conifer species including Scots pine. It is, therefore, important that breeding programs consider wood stiffness and growth traits simultaneously. The study aims to (1) evaluate different approaches of calculating the dynamic modulus of elasticity (MOE, non-destructively assessed stiffness) using data from X-ray analysis (SilviScan) as a benchmark, (2) estimate genetic parameters, and (3) apply index selection. In total, we non-destructively measured 622 standing trees from 175 full-sib families for acoustic velocity (VEL) using Hitman and for wood density (DEN) using Resistograph and Pilodyn. We combined VEL with different wood densities, raw (DENRES) and adjusted (DENRES.TB) Resistograph density, Pilodyn density measured with (DENPIL) and without bark (DENPIL.B), constant of 1000 kg·m−3 (DENCONST), and SilviScan density (DENSILV), to calculate MOEs and compare them with the benchmark SilviScan MOE (MOESILV). We also derived Smith–Hazel indices for simultaneous improvement of stem diameter (DBH) and wood stiffness. The highest additive genetic and phenotypic correlations of the benchmark MOESILV with the alternative MOE measures (tested) were attained by MOEDENSILV (0.95 and 0.75, respectively) and were closely followed by MOEDENRES.TB (0.91 and 0.70, respectively) and MOEDENCONST and VEL (0.91 and 0.65, respectively for both). Correlations with MOEDENPIL, MOEDENPIL.B, and MOEDENRES were lower. Narrow-sense heritabilities were moderate, ranging from 0.39 (MOESILV) to 0.46 (MOEDENSILV). All indices revealed an opportunity for joint improvement of DBH and MOE. Conclusions: MOEDENRES.TB appears to be the most efficient approach for indirect selection for wood stiffness in Scots pine, although VEL alone and MOEDENCONST have provided very good results too. An index combining DBH and MOEDENRES.TB seems to offer the best compromise for simultaneous improvement of growth, fiber, and wood quality traits.

Structural performance analysis of cross-laminated timber-bamboo (CLTB)

Construction systems based on cross-laminated timber (CLT) have versatility in material development and are an interesting alternative for construction. This study evaluated the structural performance of cross-laminated timber-bamboo produced from wood (Pinus spp.) and bamboo (Dendrocalamus giganteus). Panels were produced by strips (wood and bamboo) assorted, under non-destructive structural grading, to support a better panel configuration. Small-length pine pieces were also included in the study, considering their low added-value and underutilization in sawmills from Telêmaco Borba, Brazil. Gluing tests of small specimens were performed to evaluate the bonding quality of three adhesives: melamine-urea-formaldehyde (MUF), isocyanate polymeric emulsion (IPE), and castor oil-based resin (COR). Shear stress strength parallel to grain between bamboo and wood showed the best performance for MUF resin. After preliminary gluing testing, eight cross-laminated panels were produced with MUF adhesive in a three-layered configuration, with transversal orientation: two external bamboo layers and a central layer of pine wood. Stiffness and rupture strength values were above those specified by the ANSI/APA PGR 320 (2012) standard. Elasticity and rupture moduli were 13,310 MPa and 65 MPa, respectively, showing good potential of this composite for structural uses.

Non-destructive evaluation of wood stiffness and fiber coarseness, derived from SilviScan data, via near infrared hyperspectral imaging

Near infrared hyperspectral imaging combined with partial least squares regression analysis was used to evaluate wood stiffness (modulus of elasticity) and fiber coarseness. Five samples with normal wood and compression wood collected from two Japanese Cedar ( Cryptomeria japonica) trees were analyzed. To achieve high reliability of the prediction values, a SilviScan system (X-ray densitometry, X-ray diffractometry, and optical microscopy) with the high spatial resolution was used for measuring reference data. The measurement interval for modulus of elasticity and fiber coarseness was 1 mm and 25 µm, respectively. After spectral pre-treatment and key wavelengths selection, partial least squares analysis was applied to calibrate near infrared data to reference values. The determination coefficient ( RCV2) of modulus of elasticity was 0.66 with a root mean square error of cross validation (RMSECV) of 1.80 GPa. For the constructed fiber coarseness calibration model, RCV2 and RMSECV were 0.62 and 35.02 µm/g, respectively. Finally, modulus of elasticity and fiber coarseness mapping results show detailed information (156 µm/pixel) at the grown ring level. The differences among earlywood, latewood, and compression wood were all well identifiable.