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iForest -Biogeosciences and Forestry
IntroductionPubescent or Downy oak (Quercus pubescens Willd.) is a deciduous species characterized by high morphological variability (Schwarz 1993) and a widespread distribution range, from western to eastern Europe (Jalas & Suominen 1976). Pubescent oak covers with monospecific stands 876 000 and 850 000 ha in France and Italy, respectively (IGN 2013, INFC 2007). In other Mediterranean countries, e.g., Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, and Albania, the growing stock of mixed or pure stands of this species is rather limited, according to the national forest inventories. In general, the wood of pubescent oak is scarcely considered as industrial lumber and is mainly used as firewood. In the past, it was largely employed for rail crossbeams, while nowadays it is occasionally used for carpentry, boat-building, or packaging. It is well known that through adequate modification processes, its wood properties may be improved, creating a new and environmental-friendly material (Hill 2006).Thermal treatment of wood is applied since the beginning of the last century, when several studies demonstrated the reduced equilibrium moisture content and consequently reduced dimensional shrinkage of wood exposed to a high temperature (Kollman 1936, Stamm et al. 1946, Kollman & Schneider 1963. Lately, a great interest in thermal processing of wood had been rising, and several types of thermal treatments have been developed. Most studies aimed at analyzing the variation in the different treatment phases of several wood parameters, such as moisture content, dimensional stability, durability, mass loss, color changes, mechanical properties, and chemical modifications (Esteves & Pereira 2009).Nowadays, the industrial and scientific interest in thermally treated wood is undergoing a "new age", promoted by the growing demand for environmental-friendly construction products. Although the scientific literature is rich of studies describing the improved technological properties of several species, scant information is available on the wood of pubescent oak. In general, based on its wood properties, the choice of the most suitable thermal treatment for pubescent oak is often troublesome.Pubescent oak wood veining is macroscopically indistinguishable from other oak species. In fact, there are no significant differences in its strength properties as compared with other deciduous oak species, though pubescent oak wood is heavier with a large shrinkage, and consequently very prone to cracking (Giordano 1981). In addition, the presence of reaction wood, as well as cross grain or internal tensions, can cause serious warping, such as bowing, crooking, or twisting, and cross breaks develop in the areas of major shrinkage (Giordano 1994). Also, pubescent oak wood shows remarkable chromatic differences between sapwood and heartwood, being the latter usually darker. Furthermore, its high level of extractives, along with other features such as tylosis, make this wood less permeable and more difficult to be treated with ...