Originalarbeiten Æ Originals Holz als Roh- und Werkstoff 60 (2002) 165–174
Springer-Verlag 2002
DOI 10.1007/s00107-002-0292-2
Methods for measuring stiffness of young trees
H. Lindström, P. Harris, R. Nakada
There is a need to determine stiffness at an early age, to
help capture genetic breeding opportunities for better
structural lumber. The current study investigates the
possibility of selecting Pinus radiata clones with high
modulus of elasticity (MOE). Various ways of measuring
MOE are examined: traditional static bending, axial com-
pression of bolts, existing sonic methods, as well as a tool
specifically configured for resonance on short bolts. Wood
characteristics and microfibril angle are measured on discs
taken from each tree. Results show a good correlation
between acoustic and static measurements of modulus of
elasticity. Moreover, the selected seven radiata clones
differ in stiffness by a factor of two, and much of this
variation seems to relate to differences in microfibril angle.
The results validate the assumption that there is potential
to improve wood stiffness of radiata pine genetically. This
work does not offer definitive solutions but explores a
number of approaches that could be utilised as a selection
tool in tree breeding for better product performance of
radiata lumber. Here, development of methods based on
H. Lindström (&)
Visiting Research fellow, School of Forestry, Private Bag 4800,
University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
e-mail: lindstromhakan@netscape.net
P. Harris
Research Scientist, Industrial Research Limited,
Gracefield Road, PO Box 31-310, Lower Hutt, New Zealand
R. Nakada
Research Scientist, Forest Tree Breeding Centre,
3809-1 Ishi, Juo, Ibaraki 319-1301, Japan
This work has been funded by a Multiclient group of companies,
Fletcher Challenge Forests, Proseed NZ, Rayonier NZ, State Forest
of New South Wales, and Weyerhaeuser Inc. (USA). In addition,
support from the Swedish Foundation for International Co-
operation in Research and Higher Education is gratefully
acknowledged. The help and support of the staff at School of
Forestry is acknowledged. In addition, we thank Dr. Robert Evans
(CSIRO, Forest Products Laboratory, Clayton, Australia) for
SilviScan-1 and SilviScan-2 measurements of wood
characteristics. Mr. Richard J. Newton (Department of Civil
engineering, University of Canterbury) in assisting and setting up
the LVDT’s together with the manufacturing of cradles and Mr.
Michael P. Weavers (Department of Civil engineering, University
of Canterbury) for providing the software program Universal
Datalogger 1.10. Mr. Matt Walters (Department of Plant and
microbial sciences, University of Canterbury) for help in
preparation of diagrams.
165
acoustics is shown to assist in the necessary mass
screening of clones for stiffness properties.
Methoden zum Messen der Steifigkeit von jungen
Bäumen
Für die genetische Züchtung besteht ein Bedarf, schon zu
einem frühen Zeitpunkt die Steifigkeit der Bäume zu be-
stimmen, um höherwertigeres Schnittholz zu erzielen. Die
gegenwärtige Untersuchung prüft die Möglichkeit Klone
von Pinus radiata mit hohen MOE-Werten zu selektieren.
Verschiedene Methoden zur MOE-Messung werden un-
tersucht: konventionelle statische Biegetests, axiale Kom-
pression von Stäben, vorhandene (Ultra)-Schallmethoden,
sowie ein spezielles Gerät zum Messen der Resonanz von
kurzen Stäben. Holzeigenschaften und Fibrillenwinkel
wurden an Scheiben gemessen, die von jedem Baum ent-
nommen wurden. Die Ergebnisse zeigen eine gute Korre-
lation zwischen akustischen und statischen Messungen des
MOE. Die sieben ausgewählten Klone unterschieden sich
in ihrer Steifigkeit um den Faktor 2, wobei ein Großteil
dieser Variationen mit Unterschieden im Mikrofibrillenwinkel
zusammenhängt. Die Ergebnisse bestätigen die Vermu-
tung, daß ein Potential zum Verbessern der Holzfestigkeit
durch genetische Methoden bei Pinus radiata vorhanden
ist. Diese Arbeit bietet keine definitiven Lösungen. Sie
untersucht eine Anzahl von Ansätzen zur Selektion bei der
Züchtung im Hinblick auf bessere Schnittholzprodukte.
Die entwicklung von akustischen Methoden erwies sich als
hilfreich beim notwendigen Massen-Screening der
Festigkeitseigenschaften der Klone.
1
Introduction
Product performance and the corresponding value of
structural lumber produced from fast grown conifers is
often limited by the MOE of juvenile wood (Kretschmann
and Bendtsen 1992, Cave and Walker 1994, Walker and
Butterfield 1996, Tsehaye et al. 2000a). Consequently, ge-
netic improvement of juvenile wood properties should
have great economic benefits (Shelbourne 1997, Shel-
bourne et al. 1997, Sorensson et al. 1997). For instance, in
the case of low MOE, low value non-structural lumber of
Pinus radiata Dickson and Walker (1997) suggest that: ‘‘A
25–50% increase in the stiffness of corewood would do the
trick nicely’’. To help capture genetic breeding opportu-
nities there is a need to determine stiffness at an early age.
It could be that development of methods based on
acoustics (Marchal and Jacques 1999) would assist in the
necessary mass screening of clones for stiffness.
 The genetic potential for MOE improvement of juvenile
wood can be glimpsed in the 3-fold stiffness range (Fig. 1)
observed in with-pith boards (Tsehaye et al. 2000a). It is
misleading to explain large MOE differences in terms of
wood density as the amount of cell wall material in a given
volume of wood is linearly correlated with MOE. Certainly,
the 5–15% variation in wood density of the first 5 growth
rings (Cown et al. 1992) will influence stiffness somewhat,
but the relationship between MOE and wood density is
linear. Moreover, the potential genetic improvement of
density is quite limited, as simulated genetic gain after one
166
generation has indicated a mere 5% gain in wood density
(Jayawickrama and Jefferson 1999). More likely the 3-fold
range in MOE of boxed pith lumber can be explained by
differences in microfibril angle, chemical composition, and
tracheid dimensions. Based on current knowledge (Cave
and Walker 1994, Hirakawa et al. 1997, Persson 1997,
Harrington et al. 1998, Astley et al. 1998) the 3-fold dif-
ference in MOE could be attributed to microfibril angle
variation.
Although much of the genetic potential to improve
stiffness of juvenile wood seems to be a function of mi-
crofibril angle, this feature is difficult to measure and
evaluate and comparatively expensive. A more direct ap-
proach is to determine the stemwood MOE of young trees
in order to identify candidates for future breeding pro-
grammes (Nakamura 1997, Fujisawa 1998, Walker and
Nakada 1999). These studies indicate that there are op-
portunities to select clones with superior wood stiffness.
This perspective maintains that it would be more efficient
to base selection on variables that mirror final product
performance, e.g. stiffness and form stability, rather than
single wood characteristics, e.g. wood density, microfibril
angle or tracheid length. Similarly, Sorensson et al. (1997)
state that ‘‘stiffness and stability are now accepted as the
top priorities for breeding for solid wood’’. Nevertheless,
having MOE as a genetic selection and breeding criteria
presents difficulties as young nursery stock will exhibit
considerable compression wood, stem eccentricity and
taper. Such difficulties present challenges in the develop-
Fig. 1. Relationship between the unextracted basic density and
the green MOE: the boards are ranked in ascending order of MOE at breast height using a FAKOPP (Table 1, 2, Fig. 2a). This
Bild 1. Beziehung zwischen der Rohdichte und dem MOE im
waldfrischen Zustand. Die Bretter sind nach aufsteigendem MOE 1 m apart up the stem on the standing tree. Two other
angeordnet
ment of methodologies particularly when the objective is
to select very young trees (4 months to 4 yrs). Whiteman
et al. (1996) reinforce this view: ‘‘The major challenge to
rapid genetic improvement of wood, pulp and paper
properties is in developing cheap and rapid assessment
methods...’’. In the same vein, Ridoutt et al. (1998) claim:
‘‘A future priority will be the development of techniques for
rapid and cost-effective screening of wood quality in clonal
trials.’’
Acoustics offer one route to determine MOE of wood
based on stress wave, ultrasound velocity or sonic reso-
nance (Jayne 1959, James 1961, Burmester 1965, Sandoz
1989, Bucur 1995, Kucera et al. 1998, Marchal and Jacques
1999, Tsehaye et al. 2000a, 2000b, Wang et al. 2000).
Walker and Nakada (1999) stress that with acoustics there
is both short term (log sorting) and long term potential
(genetics) to increase product performance of structural
lumber. For instance, the development of methods based
on acoustics to measure dynamic stiffness in samples of
indeterminate dimensions/shapes could assist in the ge-
netic selection of clones with higher stiffness. Thus the
need is avoided to prepare small standardised clearwood
samples. Such methods could be suitable to use in tree
breeding, where hundreds of clones are screened to find
those with superior wood properties. In the current study,
the underlying concept is to evaluate stiffness in clones
less than 4 yrs old. Methods of measuring MOE are ex-
amined; traditional static bending, axial compression of
bolts, existing sonic methods, and a tool specifically con-
figured for resonance on short bolts.
This work does not offer definitive solutions but ex-
plores a number of approaches that could be utilised as a
selection tool for better product performance of radiata
lumber.
2
Objectives
This study examines three topics:
1. The correlation, if any, between the dynamic and static
MOE of logs, clearwood stem bolts, and quasi-standard
clearwood samples.
2. The use of acoustics to screen tree clones for higher
MOE, using clearwood bolts from internodes.
3. The relationship between microfibril angle and MOE.
3
Material and methods
3.1
Radiata clone selection
The radiata pine clonal material used in this study con-
sisted of seven 4-yrs old clones, one tree per clone. These
trees were supplied by the Fletcher Challenge Forests,
Advanced Tree Breeding Centre, Te Teko, New Zealand.
The selection of these trees was based on velocity of sound
tool measured the transit time between two points about
selection criteria were:
Table 1. Data for the seven radiata tree clones
Tabelle 1. Daten der sieben Radiata-Klone

Tree No FAKOPP Stiffness class Basal diametera Dbhb Spiralityc Butt sweepd
Transit time (ls) (mm) (mm) (Degrees)

1 615 Low 176 135 1.3 3/25 cm

2 635 Low 164 130 4.4 Straight
3 516 Avg 189 169 6.3 5/30 cm
4 524 Avg 160 127 4.9 Straight
5 478 High 195 140 3.1 Straight
6 441 High 171 135 4.8 5/25 cm
7 456 High 152 120 3.8 1/10 cm 167
a,b
Diameters at stump height (0 m above ground) and at breast height (1.3 m above ground), both diameters recorded on bark
c
Spirality is that of ring 3 (or so) at bh. Values are stem-axis spirality and indicate left-hand (S-helix) spirality, which is normal in
young radiata
d
Butt sweeps are given as ratios. A sweep of 3/25 means that there is a 3 cm horizontal deviation at the base, and this sweep occurs in
the first 25 cm above ground, above which the stem appears to be straight

Table 2. Recommended uses for the various acoustic tools

Tabelle 2. Empfohlene Anwendungen verschiedener akustischer Methoden

Method Intended use Principle of measurement Length of time to test

FAKOPP Standing trees First detected stress wave Slow

Sylvatest Lumber First detected ultrasound Moderate
MetriguardTM Logs and lumber First detected stress wave Moderate
Microphone based FFT-analyzer Widely applicable Resonance frequency Fast
Resonance-based FFT-analyzer Widely applicable Resonance frequency Fast

a) Minimal sweep to avoid compression wood
b) Stems of similar diameter at breast height
The seven trees were felled and crosscut into a two-
meter butt log and a three-meter upper log.
3.2
Static MOE determinations – preparation and testing
of quasi-standard clearwood samples
Traditional testing for wood quality uses 20 · 20 · 300 mm
clearwood samples cut as specified by the ASTM standard
(Anon. 1995). The standard is applicable for large mature
trees, for four-year-old tree specimens the standard is
somewhat inappropriate. Certainly there is no prospect of
reliably cutting clearwood samples in the butt log where
the lower 1.2–1.5 m rarely displays pronounced inter-
nodes. Further with the small diameter swept stems it was
impossible to uniformly sample the entire cross-section.
Instead, the butt logs were crosscut at the approximate
location of internodes yielding bolts ranging between 400–
750 mm long. It also has to be mentioned that these young
trees differed by about 5 in spiral grain, which could
lower MOE with 10–12% (small relative to variation
among clones). However, this could not justify cleaving
along the spiral grain because in young 4-yr old wood the
spiral grain changes rapidly from around 0 to about 5
over the first 3–4 growth rings, meaning that the opposite
faces would not be parallel to each other. Therefore, at-
tempting to split small diameter bolts into sticks along the
grain is, even if it seems like a fine idea, not practical as the
wood would be ‘‘twisted’’ and impossible to test. Instead,
these bolts were live-sawn into over-sized 25 mm thick
flitches (see Fig. 2) to allow for the inevitable movement
off the saw on encountering compression wood, before
being dressed to about 20 mm thickness. To optimise the
amount of wood for MOE testing, the flitches were ripped
to give cross-sections of 20 mm (thick) · 25–35 mm
(random width) rather than the ASTM standard of 20 mm
(radial) · 20 mm (tangential), so maximising the usable
test material from each flitch. In some of the flitches it was
not possible to obtain a 300 mm clearwood span. In those
cases the specimen was placed in the bending jig to best
avoid the effects of knots etc., often testing at two or three
points along its length to find the stiffest part which was
presumed to approximate more closely to that of clear-
wood. The specimens were conditioned to 12% moisture
content before being tested in the elastic range by three
point bending (Fig. 2d); MOE was calculated according to
Eq. (1):
"
#
LoadðkN Þ l 3
MOE ðStaticÞ ¼
4bD h

! ð1Þ
Y h 2 Y
 1 þ 1:2 ; ffi 17
G l G
Where b is the breadth of sample (mm), l is the length of
sample (mm), h is the depth of sample (mm), Y is Young’s
modulus and G is the modulus of rigidity. The second term
is a correction of about 15% to account for the presence of
longitudinal shear and for the finite length of the beam.
This correction presumes a value for the modulus of ri-
gidity (shear modulus). Here, it was assumed that
Y=G ffi 17 (Anon. 1995).
168
Fig. 2. A schematic outline of the sampling and measurements
involved
3.3
Static MOE determinations – preparation and MOE
measurements of internodal bolts
The upper 3 meter logs from the seven 4-yrs old radiata
clones were cut into internodal bolts that were 400 to
750 mm long. The internodal bolts were then conditioned
to 12% moisture content. After sonic testing with Sylva-
test the bolts were recut to a standard diameter-to-length
ratio 1:3 test specimen to reduce sweep and to minimise
buckling and eccentric loading. To ensure even loading
each bolt was carefully sanded to obtain approximately
parallel end surfaces, coated with a thin layer (2–3 mm) of
Plaster of Paris (calcium sulphate) and then placed be-
tween a 50 kN load cell and a steel plate fastened to the
cross head of the test machine (Fig. 2b). A low load was
applied to spread the viscous paste evenly across the bolt
end surfaces and the load maintained for a further
30 minutes whilst the plaster hardened.
The elastic stress-strain behavior of the bolt was mon-
itored using two linearly variable differential transformers
(LVDT’s) that were attached directly to opposite sides of
the bolt (Fig. 2b). The LVDTs feature a stroke of ±1 mm
with a non-linearity of 0.3%. Each LVDT was held in an
adjustable cradle that was located on the bolt by a 6 mm
long needle which was pressed into the bolt and secured by
a rubberband extending round the upper part of the cradle
and the circumference of the bolt. The moving core ele-
Bild 2. Schema der Probennahme und der dabei angewandten
Messungen
ment of the LVDT rested against a support plate. The in-
dependent support plate was located on the bolt with a
6 mm pin. Outputs from the two LVDTs and the load cell
were fed into an acquisition system. Data logging software
Universal Datalogger ver.1.10 (developed at the Depart-
ment of Civil Engineering, University of Canterbury)
provided a convenient graphical display during position-
ing of the LVDT coils allowing adjustment for the stroke
length of each core element.
Compression was recorded with 3 replicate readings at 4
positions around the bolt separated by ca. 90. Displace-
ment measurements from the LVDTs had a resolution
better than 1/600 mm. The distance between the locating
needles of the cradle and support plate, together with bolt
dimensions were recorded by digital callipers. The average
modulus of elasticity of each bolt within the elastic region
was then determined from load displacement data from
Universal Datalogger ver. 1.10 according to Eq. (2):
DLoad Dl
Bolt MOE ðStaticÞ ¼  ð2Þ
pr2 l
Where D Load (N) is the load difference within the elastic
region recorded at less than 0.1% strain, r (m) is average
radius in the test zone, l (m) is the distance between the 2
needles attaching the cradle and support plate, while D l
(m) is the deflection between the 2 needles when the ap-
plied load increases by D Load (N).
3.4
Acoustic methods used to measure MOE
In the study a set of acoustic tools were used to evaluate
MOE of stem bolts and the clear wood specimens. The
intended use of these are listed in Table 2, and the indi-
vidual tools are described in the following:
FAKOPP is designed to study standing trees (Booker
and Ridoutt 1997). Two piezoelectric transducers are at-
tached to needle probes that are driven into the standing
tree about 1 m apart. The user hits one of the probes and
the stress waves run though the standing tree. Transit time 169
is recorded.
Sylvatest is designed to evaluate sawn lumber that has
a span of more than 2 m (Sandoz 1996). It can access
installed lumber. One difference between MetriguardTM
and Sylvatest is that the latter utilises a piezoelectric
transducer to generate an acoustic wave at about 15 kHz,
whereas MetriguardTM uses a hammer to generate low
frequency sound (1 kHz).
MetriguardTM is designed to evaluate logs or sawn lumber
(Mattheck and Bethge 1993). One end of a piece of lumber or
log is hit with a hammer that has an internal accelerometer.
The hit induces a stress wave, which is then detected at the
other end with a second accelerometer. The time between
the detection of the two accelerometer signals gives the
sound wave transit time along the piece. Measurements are
affected by the variable impact of the hammer.
An FFT analyser is a multipurpose method of analysing
vibrations in machines, etc. Here a tapping hammer in- Fig. 3. The IRL swept resonance configuration
duces vibrations which penetrates the lumber or log. The Bild 3. Meßanordnung der IPL-Resonanzmessung
resultant vibrations are captured by a microphone or ac-
celerometer and numerically analysed by Fast Fourier
Transformation (Sobue 1986) to identify the resonance MOE ðDynamicÞ ¼ qV 2 ð3Þ
modes. In contrast to the former three tools that only use 3
Where q is the green density of the material (kg/m ) and V
the first wave transit, a FFT-analyser acquires data over a (m/s) is the velocity of sound. Finally, the sound velocities
period of time and subsequently can use the harmonics/ of internodal bolts from these top logs were measured
overtones to refine its calculations. using Sylvatest. Readings were taken from near the pith,
The swept resonance tool, developed at Industrial re- at mid-position, and near cambium then averaged and
search limited (IRL), is a variant of FFT analysis (Fig. 3). used to calculate dynamic MOE according to Eq. (3). Note
Hammer taps typically generate frequencies in the low kHz that the bolt lengths, ca 0.4–0.6 m were far shorter than the
range and so are constrained in use to samples greater minimum distance recommended by the manufacturer.
than about 200 mm long. Also, for short stubby samples,
volume modes may be excited which complicate the 3.6
spectra considerably. This alternative method (Fig. 3) ex- Dynamic MOE determination with FFT-analyser
cites the sample by a loudspeaker (either conventional or and swept resonance
piezoceramic) assembly matched appropriately for the The acoustic MOE for 195 small clearwood pine specimens
sample cross-sectional area and weight. The exciter sweeps were determined using a FFT analyser with a microphone
over a range of frequencies (typically 10 harmonics) in (n ¼ 93) or swept resonance (n ¼ 102) and observing the
3 seconds while simultaneously detecting and monitoring fundamental resonance frequencies and overtones (Fig. 4,
the resulting vibrations within the sample. The spectral Table 5). For resonance the stress wave travels back and
characteristic of the sample is determined directly from forth along the sample, i.e. the distance is twice the sample
which the resonance modes are identified. length, at a velocity:
3.5 V ¼ 2 lf ð4Þ
Dynamic MOE determination of butt logs with FAKOPP, Where f (Hz) is the fundamental resonance frequency and
Sylvatest, and MetriguardTM l (m) is the sample length. Great accuracy is achieved by
The standing trees were initially chosen using the FAKOPP analyzing the various overtones (not necessarily harmon-
tool at breast height (Table 1). Once felled, the transit time ic). Direct substitution of (5) into (4) gives the resonance
in the 2 meter green butt logs was also measured using frequency relation of longitudinal vibrations
MetriguardTM (Fig. 2). Knowing the green density and the
sound velocity, MOE is calculated according to Eq. (3): MOE ðDynamicÞ ¼ 4ql2 f 2 ð5Þ
170

Fig. 5. Correlation between swept resonance measured MOE and

static axial compression of bolts
Bild 5. Korrelation zwischen der MOE-Messung nach der Reso-
nanz-Methode und deraxialen Kompression von Holzstäben

with SilviScan-2 (Evans et al. 1999), at CSIRO, Melbourne.

Area-weighted averages of measured wood characteristics
Fig. 4. Correlation between static and dynamic methods used for
for each disc were calculated, and are given in Table 3.
determining modulus of elasticity (GPa) of clearwood samples
Bild 4. Korrelation zwischen statisch und dynamisch bestimmten
MOE-Werten (Gpa) von fehlerfreien Proben 4
Results and statistical interpretation
The swept resonance tool was also applied on the 31
stem bolts taken from the 7 clones (Fig. 2). The range in 4.1
MOE and the correlation between static and dynamic MOE Clearwood pine specimens – establishing
of these stem bolts are given in Table 5 and Fig. 5. the correspondence between static bending MOE
and the acoustic MOE
3.7 When comparing determinations of MOE measured via
Measurements of wood characteristics swept resonance with MOE determined by static three
To interpret the differences in modulus of elasticity be- point bending (average of radial and tangential readings)
tween trees, a range of wood characteristics were measured in Fig. 4 the slight offset from absolute correspondence
on discs taken at about 2 m (Fig. 2). The discs were (y ¼ 1.04x and y ¼ 1.07x) in MOE is likely to be due to
located in an internode between the lower and upper logs, unknown differences in moisture content at the time of
close to the lowest bolt from the top log. Each disc measurement and accurately determining the correction
(clone1–7) was sanded and a selection of 4 roughly per- for the static bend data for modulus of rigidity (shear
pendicular transects were marked on each disc with the modulus) effects, the correction is about 15%. However,
intention to avoid stem cracks and minimising compres- there is no doubt (Fig. 4, Table 5) that both static and
sion wood in one transect (Fig. 2c). Thus four 2 · 6 · 40– resonance tests are measuring an identical property
55 mm radial samples were machined from each disc, the (stiffness). There is inevitably some scatter about the trend
transverse surfaces were polished then measured for line when comparing static bending in the radial direction
density, radial and tangential diameter, coarseness, and versus the tangential direction as the response to the ap-
cell wall thickness by SilviScan-1 (Evans et al. 1995), at plied load depends on the location of the latewood band(s)
CSIRO, Melbourne. The microfibril angle was measured within the cross-section (Fig. 4), the radial to tangential
 correlation coefficient R2 was found to be 0.96 for the full

Coarsenessa Cell wall thicknessa Tangential tracheid diametera Radial tracheid diametera Static bolt MOEb
195 samples. By comparison both resonance based tools
measure plane waves that fill and hence determine an
average for the cross section. The correlation (with the
(GPa) simple average of the radial and tangential static bending

N/A
N/A
2.54
2.69
3.82
2.98
4.18
5.58
4.83
readings) coefficient R2 was found to be 0.98 for both
resonance methods. Further, the acoustic wave fills the
entire volume and so evenly samples a far greater wood
volume than the static bending. Arguably this is prefera-
ble, giving a less variable measure than static bending. In
fact, the acoustic precision is seen to challenge static bend
171
measurement practises.

0.10/n.s.
4.2
(lm)

33.6
35.6
33.3
32.6
34.9
36.2
32.9

Correlation of static and dynamic MOE of logs

+

and internodal bolts

The fact that acoustic and static methods are measuring
Table 3. Area weighted wood characteristics of each tree clone based on SilviScan measurements (Courtesy Robert Evans, CSIRO)

an identical property (stiffness) means that the entire

process of cutting standard ASTM samples could be
avoided. Instead, as indicated in Fig. 5 acoustic methods
Tabelle 3. Flächenbezogene Holzcharakteristik jedes Baumklons bei der SilviScan-Messung (nach Robert Evans, CSIRO)

can be applied to an indeterminate sample size such

as logs and bolts. In this study, four acoustic tools,
FAKOPP, Sylvatest, MetriguardTM, and the swept reso-
0.13/n.s.

nance system (Table 2, Fig. 3) were used and correlated

(lm)

26.8
26.1
27.0
27.8
29.3
27.1
27.9

with:
+

a) Average MOE of the butt log, calculated as the average

MOE of the quasi-clearwood samples cut from each log,
b) Average axial compression MOE of 31 bolts taken from
the upper log of each tree clone.
FAKOPP and MetriguardTM were limited to 2 meter
0.24/n.s.

butt logs, whereas Sylvatest and the resonance ana-

(lm)

1.70
1.97
1.88
1.93
1.89
2.03
1.87

lyzer were used on the internodal bolts. The correla-

+

tions between static and dynamic MOE methods were

Axial compression MOE (GPa) of the internodal bolt closest to the sampled disc

evaluated with PROC REG in SAS 6.12. (SAS Institute

0.35/n.s.
(lg/m)

1998). Correlation coefficients and standard deviations

290.8
340.0
318.8
326.5
343.0
361.2
320.0

of each dynamic method are given in Table 4. As there

Area-weighted averages of measured wood characteristics for each disc
+

were only seven 2 meter butt logs, it is questionable if

the obtained correlations obtained from FAKOPP and
Densitya

0.06/n.s.
(Kg/m3)

MetriguardTM are representative. In contrast, the 31

325.0
367.5
356.0
362.2
335.5
368.2
349.0

internodal bolts (Fig. 5, Table 5) can be regarded as a

+

reliable sample size, although further studies are nec-

essary to confirm these results. Nevertheless, it is
Microfibril anglea

obvious that there exists considerable cost benefit from

using acoustic methods on logs, and bolts, rather than
(Degrees)

traditional static three point bending. These methods

indicate p 0.05 (Draper and Smith 1981)

are fast and inherently accurate at modest machine

0.50/*
36.6
38.6
31.7
34.1
26.7
31.8
29.5

cost.
–

4.3
Positively or negatively correlated

Correlation between static MOE of bolts and wood

Linear regression of static bolt
MOEb vs variable. (R2 and

characteristics
In this scoping trial only seven trees were investigated for
with static bolt MOEb.

level of significance)c

wood characteristics and modulus of elasticity. Neverthe-

less, statistical evaluation was undertaken using PROC
REG in SAS ver. 6.12 (SAS Institute 1998) to explore the
relationship between modulus of elasticity and measured
Tree Clone

wood characteristics, only the microfibril angle was found

with a significant effect (Table 3). It is perhaps surprising
that there is no correlation with basic density but this
relates to very young wood (only 1 2 growth rings) and
1
2
3
4
5
6
7

b
a

c
 Table 4. Static vs dynamic MOE, correlation and standard deviation of each method applied on butt logs and internodal boltsa
Tabelle 4. Statisch und dynamisch bestimmter MOE: Korrelation und Standardabweichung jeder Methode, angewendet am Stam-
mende und in Bereichen zwischen den Knotenpunkten

Sample determined for n FAKOPP Sylvatest MetriguardTM IRL

Static MOE Dynamic MOE Dynamic MOE Dynamic MOE Dynamic MOE
R2, (SD) (green) R2, (SD) R2, (SD) (green) (12% MC) R2, (SD)

2 meter butt logsa 7 0.96 N/A 0.85 N/A

(0.12) (0.25)
Internodal bolts, taken from 31 N/A 0.59 N/A 0.91
upper logs (0.62) (0.20)
172 a
A proxy MOE of each 2 meter butt log was calculated as the averaged MOE of the quasi-clearwood specimens within that log

Table 5. Static and dynamic MOE range for the two groups of quasi-standard clearwood samples (20 mm (thick) · 25–35 mm
(random width) · 300 mm) in Fig. 4, and for the internodal stem bolts in Fig. 5
Tabelle 5. Bereiche des statisch und dyamisch bestimmten MOE in den zwei Quasi-Standard-Gruppen mit fehlerfreien Proben
(s. Bild 4). Abmessungen: 20 mm (Dicke) · 25–35 mm (zufällige Breite) · 300 mm. Sowie für die Stammabschnitte im Bereich
zwischen den Knotenpunkten (Bild 5)

Static three point bending determination Dynamic FFT-analyzer + microphone determination

of MOE (GPa) using quasi-standard of MOE (GPa) using quasi-standard clearwood
clearwood samples (n = 93) samples (n = 93)

Min 2.01 2.12

Max 6.11 6.61
Mean 3.76 3.91

Static three point bending determination Dynamic FFT-based resonance determination

of MOE (GPa) using quasi-standard of MOE (GPa) using quasi-standard clearwood
clearwood samples (n = 102) samples (n = 102)

Min 1.77 1.85

Max 5.65 5.89
Mean 3.14 3.38

Static loading determination of MOE (GPa) Dynamic FFT-based resonance determination

using internodal stem bolts (n = 31) from of MOE (GPa) using internodal stem bolts
the seven selected clones (n = 31) from the seven selected clones

Min 2.54 2.51

Max 5.58 5.94
Mean 3.92 4.00

the results coincide with previous work on young wood
(Fig. 1).
5 utilising acoustic tools rather than traditional static
Discussion
Usually the selection of young trees for superior me-
chanical properties requires mechanical testing of wood.
This will be difficult on whole stems that often are elliptic
in cross-section and rarely straight, which makes inter-
pretation of any bending test of roundwood problematic.
The alternative approach has been to cut small clearwood
specimens from the stem of the young tree. Such small
clearwood samples provide the basis for comparisons of
wood properties in most international codes (Anon. 1995).
However, it is difficult or impossible to obtain clearwood
samples within a meter of the groundline because of fre-
quent branching. Moreover, if standard 20 · 20 · 300 mm
clearwood specimens are cut from a young fast-grown
tree with relatively small basal diameters, there are real
difficulties in ensuring that the stem cross-section is
sampled in proportion to its presence in the tree
(Fig. 2).
Instead, the current study explores the possibility of
loading to determine MOE both on entire stem sections
and standardised clear specimens. This is undertaken
with the intention to explore the accuracy of such tools
applied on young wood. The main results are that static
and acoustic methods seem to yield similar values of
MOE. Among the utilised testing methods, the swept
resonance tool seem especially promising as it would
provide fast and accurate MOE determination on entire
stem sections.
The differences found in MOE in these young trees, <4
yrs old, was found related to microfibril angle rather than
density. However, an adequate statistical interpretation on
MOE variation with the objective of finding the causative
factors for MOE differences would require very extensive
selection of material. One objective might be to investigate
the relative importance of and variation found in micro-
fibril angle, density, tracheid length and diameter, and
maybe chemical variation in lignin and hemicelluloses.
The interesting implication of this study for tree
breeders is that it seems possible to use bolts rather than
standard clearwood samples to determine the MOE of
young breeding stock. The attractiveness of using MOE as
a wood selection criteria has been emphasised in a recent
study (Fujisawa 1998) based on 21 yrs old Japanese cedar
clones (Cryptomeria japonica D. Don) where basic density
was found to vary between 303–360 kg/m3 (19%), whereas
the MOE varied between 3.8–7.2 GPa (89%). In addition,
the broad sense heritability of these respective properties
was 0.51 for wood density and 0.86 for MOE. If there is
similar genetic control of MOE in Pinus radiata and if
efficient screening and selection of tree clones with high
MOE could be done at an early age, this could contribute
substantially to product performance improvement of
radiata pine lumber.
6 wertung 50(5): 96–99
Conclusions
This scoping trial on seven 4-yr old clones of Pinus Rad-
iata demonstrated that stiffness of clones can be consis-
tently ranked by all the methods used. The differences in
MOE between these clones were found to depend on mi-
crofibril angle. However, the focus in this study was on
tools that quickly assess wood properties, e.g. stiffness,
rather than elucidate the underlying wood characteristics.
From this perspective, the dynamic acoustic tools give
relevant and fast determination of MOE on bolts and
standard clearwood samples. We believe acoustic tools
provide opportunities of mass screening for stiffness of
fast-grown radiata pine clones at a very early age.
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