News

As part of Trees4Future's work in creating common standards and protocols, we invite you to take part in our survey to gain information on existing equipments and protocols for determining wood properties in standing trees, as well as to identify gaps and future trends.

The survey is structured in 4 parts:

• Part I. General overview of available techniques and equipments
• Part II. Acoustic tools
• Part III. NIR
• Part IV. Innovation and future trends

Deadline: 20 October 2014

Fill in the survey electronically here: http://www.ptmadeira.org/enquisa/index.html

Or download the Word document, and return to manuel.cesareo.touza.vazquez@xunta.es

Background

There is an increasing interest regarding how to determine wood properties in standing trees with non destructive techniques (NDTs). This is of particular interest to breeders as these new possibilities may be introduced into breeding programs, allowing, at the same time, the preservation of the original trees.

One of the best known examples is the recent application of acoustic methods for estimating the mechanical properties (modulus of elasticity) in standing trees.

Other available technologies include penetrometers (pylodin), drilling resistance methods (resistograph), measurement of longitudinal surface growth strains with strain gauge devices (as the one developed by CIRAD-Forêt), etc.

In other cases, traditional lab techniques together with X-Ray densitometry, fractometers, etc., are allowing the determination of an increasing number of wood properties (density, sapwood-heartwood ratio, earlywood-latewood ratio, bending strength, compression strength…) in increment cores.

NIR techniques are also allowing the determination of an increasing number of wood properties from wood cores and/or wood power.

For the purpose of this questionnaire, only wood properties determined on standing trees or small wood samples (as a wood core or wood power) may be considered as non-destructive as it will allow the preservation of the individual tree.