Density of juvenile and mature wood of selected coniferous species

Abstract

ABSTRACT:The objective of research was to determine the density of juvenile (JW) and mature wood (MW) of selected coniferous species growing in the Czech Republic. The research included the wood of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.), Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and European larch (Larix decidua Mill.). The juvenile wood density close to the pith was 410 kg·m -3 for spruce, 391 kg·m -3 for pine and 573 kg·m -3 for larch with 12% water content. Mature wood in the peripheral parts had the higher density in all species -spruce 516 kg·m -3 , pine 552 kg·m -3 and larch 652 kg·m -3 . The highest difference, the difference of 161 kg·m -3 , between juvenile and mature wood was found out in Scots pine. The large difference in the wood density of pine is caused by a considerable difference in the mean ring width of its juvenile and mature wood. Further, it was proved that wood density decreases with the increasing ring width while wood density increases with the increasing proportion of latewood.

Comparison of the Structure of Juvenile and Mature Wood of Larix decidua Mill. from Fast-Growing Plantations in Poland

“…The tests were made on the disc-shape wood slices. Based on the research of Zhu et al (2000) and Gryc et al (2011), the discs were cut from the tree trunk at level breast height (1.3 m above the ground). The trees were aged 21 to 25 years.…”

“…For the analyzed wood samples, we found annual growth rings much wider than those in the wood commercially available in the current domestic market. Gryc et al (2011) reported for European larch from Czech Republic, the width of annual growth rings at the level of 2.42 mm (mature wood) to 4.89 mm (juvenile wood). According to Bijak (2013), typical European larch wood from Poland is characterized by the width of annual growth rings at the level of 3.12 mm (no distinction between juvenile and mature wood was given).…”

The role of log jams and exceptional flood events in mobilizing coarse particulate organic matter in a steep headwater stream

“…To check for a relationship between residence times of the jams' key pieces and log jam size, volumes and dry masses of the pieces of wood longer than 1 m stored in log jams were approximated by measuring their length and diameter in the field (cf. May and Gresswell, 2003), and by assuming a cylindrical shape and a dry wood density of 410 kg m −3 , which is characteristic for P. abies (Gryc et al, 2011). The total combined volume of pieces shorter than 1 m was estimated visually with the help of a measuring tape.…”

Within- and between-tree variation of wood density components in Pinus nigra at six sites in Portugal

“…At the microscopic level, juvenile wood characteristics are due to the existence of large earlywood cells, formed during spring, with thin tracheid walls caused by rapid growth and lower competition with other trees. In the mature wood, there is a larger proportion of latewood cells formed in summer with thicker cell walls (Lebourgeois 2000;Gryc et al 2011;Li et al 2011). For this reason, in conifers, wood density is usually lower near the pith (juvenile wood), followed by a rapid increase, then a subsequent slowing until almost constant values are reached in the mature wood zone (Pearson and Ross 1984;Zobel and Sprague 1998).…”