Modulus of elasticity in standing trees of Pinus montezumae Lamb., using non-destructive testing

Abstract

Non-destructive testing applied to the study of the mechanical properties of wood in standing trees has grown significantly in recent years due to the implementation of non-invasive techniques and technologies that do not require the felling of trees for their evaluation. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the dynamic modulus of elasticity and structural wood quality in standing trees of Pinus montezumae Lamb. An acoustic method was used by measuring the ultrasound time of flight for seventy trees with an average age of 74 years, the sensors were placed oppositely at 1.30 m for the transverse section, while for the longitudinal sections the sensors were placed alternately every 2 m. It was found that for P. montezumae Lamb, the dynamic modulus of elasticity for the 0–2 m and 2–4 m longitudinal sections at 12% moisture content was 6149.1 and 7039.1 MPa, respectively. Statistically significant differences were also found for the longitudinal dynamic modulus of elasticity (p-value < 0.05). It is concluded that for the study area, the high longitudinal section (2–4 m) allows obtaining structural wood of higher quality compared to the low section (0–2 m).