We found a match
Your institution may have access to this item. Find your institution then sign in to continue.
- Title
Lower wood stiffness in old-growth than in post-cut and post-fire stands indicates forest structure is a key driver of wood properties in black spruce.
- Authors
Cardona, Lady; Couillard, Pierre-Luc; Achim, Alexis
- Abstract
Forest fires and logging drive the structure of boreal forest landscapes. According to recent studies, stand origin is a key driver of the variation in wood properties in black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) BSP.), although the underlying mechanisms remain to be elucidated. By comparing post-cut, post-fire and old-growth forests, this study aimed to better distinguish the effects of stand structure from those of the seed or layer origin of the trees on wood properties. We conducted comparative analyses based on ecological characteristics of the sites and static bending tests of small, defect-free wood specimens. Black spruce stands with a regular structure established after logging or fire exhibited higher stiffness at a given cambial age than old-growth forests with irregular structures, as well as lower wood density in the first 40 rings near the pith. However, the bending strength was comparable in all three types of forests studied. Differences in wood stiffness among stand types appeared to be driven more by stand structure than by the seed or layer origin of the stems.
- Subjects
WOOD; BLACK spruce; WOOD density; POST-fire forests; WOOD pellets; FOREST fires; WOODEN beams
- Publication
Canadian Journal of Forest Research, 2024, Vol 54, Issue 7, p749
- ISSN
0045-5067
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1139/cjfr-2023-0199