Gérard Nepveu

Modelling variability of wood density in beech as affected by ring age, radial growth and climate

Although it has been recognized as a key parameter of wood quality and a good source of information on growth, annual wood density has been little studied within diffuse-porous trees such as beech ( Fagus sylvatica Liebl.). In this paper we examine the variability encountered in beech ring density series and analyze the influences of ring age, ring width, climate and between-tree variability on density. Thirty ring sequences were sampled from 55-year- old dominant beech trees growing within the same stand; ring density and width were measured using radiography. Ring density proved to be less variable through time than ring width. The relationship between these two variables was less than observed in ring-porous trees and it showed great variation between trees. The sensitivity of ring width and density to climate was also different; width was strongly linked to soil water deficit whereas density was correlated to temperature and August rainfall. Unlike ring width, wood density showed sensitivity towards climatic characteristics of the late growing season. A large part of annual density variability remains unexplained, even using advanced modelled water balance variables. We hypothesize that a significant part of the tree ring is under internal control. We also demonstrated great inter-tree variability (the tree effect) in ring density, which has an influence on density but not on trees’ response to climate.

Decay resistance against Coriolus versicolor in Sessile oak ( Quercus petraea Liebl.): analysis of the between-tree variability and correlations with extractives, tree growth and other basic wood properties

Weight loss due to fungus Coriolus versicolor has been measured on 614 samples according to the NF EN 113 norm. Up to eight samples were cut at breast height (two opposite radii×four radial positions in heartwood) from 82 mature sessile oaks ( Quercus petraea Liebl.) originating from contrasting regions, silvicultural schedules and site qualities in France. The following points are addressed in the paper: (i) contribution to the total variability for weight loss of the effects “tree”, “position in the tree”, as well as their interaction; (ii) percentage of wood samples and trees in each of the five classes of natural durability defined by the norm NF EN 350–2; (iii) test of the effects of region, silvicultural schedule and site quality on weight loss and evaluating their contribution to the total variation; and (iv) correlations at tree level between weight loss and several traits related to tree growth and basic wood properties (density, swelling, grain angle, multiseriate wood rays characteristics, extractives content). The results are discussed with a view to aid the forest manager as well as the log/wood user to take advantage of the high level of between-tree variability observed as natural durability against C. versicolor.

Detailed analysis of the geometric relationship between external traits and the shape of red heartwood in beech trees (Fagus sylvatica L.)

Frequently occurring red heartwood decisively restricts the volume of light-coloured beech wood, which can be processed to high-grade appearance products. Forestry and wood industry lack suitable means for maximising the yield of light timber, since the intra-tree extent of red heartwood varies considerably. The present study characterised in detail the intra-tree shape of red heartwood and its relationships to tree-external traits (dead branches, branch scars), considered as possible initiation points of red heartwood formation. An experimental method based on log scanning and image analysis was developed and applied. Using its output for three-dimensional visualisation and data analyses, external traits being linked to the local red heartwood shape were identified. Furthermore geometric relationships were established for characterising these external traits and for deriving discriminating criteria.

Variation in wood volatile compounds in a mixed oak stand: strong species and spatial differentiation in whisky-lactone content

The effect of species and ecological conditions on oak volatile extractive content was investigated in an evenaged (100 years) stand located in western France. The sample included a total of 286 trees (118 sessile, 158 pedunculate and 10 oaks with an intermediate morphology) growing in contrasted environments (plateau, intermediate slope, small valley). The main factor influencing oak extractives level is species. The effect of the local environment appears negligible. No correlation between ring width and volatile extractive content was found. Q. petraea is significantly richer than Q. robur in eugenol and whisky-lactone (10.8 vs. 0.6 μg/g). However, two groups of sessile oaks could be identified, one poor and one rich in whisky-lactone. Among the latter, either the cis or the trans stereoisomer was predominant, suggesting that their production is not independent. A strong spatial structure was detected for whisky-lactone (cis-, trans- and total whisky-lactone, for the two species combined but also for Q. petraea alone in the case of the cis isomer).RésuméLes effets de l’espèce de chêne et des conditions écologiques locales sur les teneurs en composés volatils ont été étudiés dans un peuplement équienne (100 ans) situé dans l’ouest de la France. L’échantillon total inclut 286 arbres (118 chênes sessiles, 158 chênes pédonculés et 10 chênes intermédiaires) répartis en mélange dans trois zones écologiques du peuplement (plateau, pente et fond de vallon). Le facteur principal qui influence la teneur en extractible du bois de chêne est l’espèce botanique. L’effet environnement apparaît négligeable et il n’existe aucune relation entre la largeur de cerne et les substances volatiles. Le bois de chêne sessile (Q. petraea) possède des teneurs plus élevées que le chêne pédonculé (Q. robur) en eugénol et en whisky-lactone (10,8 μg/g contre 0,6 μg/g). Cependant, les chênes sessiles se divisent en deux groupes, l’un pauvre en whisky-lactone et l’autre riche en ce composé. Parmi ce dernier groupe, on observe que l’une des deux formes stéréoisomères (cis ou trans) prédomine, suggérant que leur biosynthèse n’est pas indépendante. On constate enfin une forte structuration spatiale pour les whisky-lactones pour les deux espèces combinées mais également chez Q. petraea seul pour l’isomère cis.

SHINY BEECH WOOD IS CONFIRMED AS AN INDICATOR OF TENSION WOOD

This study sought to develop a method to quantify tension wood areas in stem discs. It was suggested that the shiny appearance of beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) could provide an indication of tension wood. Each of 21 stem discs were digitised and the images analysed. Small areas of the discs were selected, and from these areas, anatomical sections were stained with astra-blue and safranine and the stained sections were compared with the wood disc images. The analysis showed that the shape of shiny areas and tension wood were similar; moreover, the measured ratios of shiny wood and tension wood were in good agreement. This confirms the assumption that in Fagus sylvatica shiny wood corresponds to tension wood.

Composition, distribution and supposed origin of mineral inclusions in sessile oak wood - consequences for microdensitometrical analysis

SEM and light-microscopical observations, supported by chemical microanalysis with an EDXA system, revealed that light-saturated pixels observed in X-ray negatives of sessile oak (Quercus petraea Liebl.) wood were caused by inorganic deposits present inside multiseriate ray and axial parenchyma cells. Calcium oxalate crystals, silica grains and amorphous granules with varied mineral compositions have been identified. The wood strips of three out of six sampled trees contained measurable amounts of mineral inclusions which were quantified using image analysis. Based on the variations of mineral content observed between trees and within and between annual rings of the same tree, some hypotheses were formulated concerning the factors involved in the formation of inorganic deposits in oak wood. Their occurrence varies depending on the mineral concerned and seems to be controlled largely by a tree effect. The time of formation appears to coincide with a shifting of the oak wood’s functions as a result of heartwood formation processes (inter-annual scale) or changes in leaf phenology and climate (intra-annual scale). In addition, the technical consequences of their presence as well as their effects on wood density measurements through microdensitometry are discussed.RésuméDes observations à l’aide de microscopes électronique à balayage et optique, appuyées par des analyses élémentaires au moyen d’un système EDXA, ont révélé que les points-images saturés en niveau de gris, constatés dans les négatifs de radiographies de bois de chêne sessile (Quercus petraea Liebl.), étaient dus à des dépôts inorganiques présents à l’intérieur des cellules parenchymateuses des rayons ligneux multisériés et du parenchyme axial. Des cristaux d’oxalate de calcium, des grains de silice et des granules amorphes ayant des compositions minérales variées ont été identifiés. Des barrettes de trois sur six arbres échantillonnés contenaient des quantités mesurables d’inclusions minérales qui ont été quantifiées par analyse d’images. En se basant sur les variations du contenu en dépôts minéraux observées entre arbres ainsi qu’à l’intérieur d’un arbre, aux niveaux intra-et intercerne, quelques hypothèses ont été avancées concernant les facteurs potentiellement responsables de la formation de dépôts minéraux chez le chêne. Leur présence dépend du minéral concerné et semble être contrôlée par un fort effet arbre. L’apparition des minéraux coïncide apparemment avec des changements de fonctions du bois relatifs aux processus de duraminisation (échelle interannuelle) ou correspondant à des évolutions phénologiques ou climatiques (échelle intra-annuelle). Enfin, les conséquences techniques ainsi que les effets de leur présence sur des mesures de la densité du bois par analyse microdensitométrique sont discutés.

Approach to the estimation of red heart occurrence in Fagus sylvatica based on geometric relationships between branch scar development and knot dimensions

Abstract The effect of branch scars on the initiation and occurrence of red heart in beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) was studied on 17 trees with red heartwood and 14 trees with no discoloured heartwood, all of which were selected from a 120-year-old high-forest stand in Germany. Logistic regression was used to predict the probability of red heart occurrence for a given tree. The model was based on individual probabilities derived from geometric relationships between scar and knot morphologies, and integrated the diameter at breast height. Using this model, 27 of 31 trees were correctly classified, and the two groups of trees were clearly distinguished by probabilities below 0.25 and above 0.85 (with one exception). Given the constitution of the model, only 17 of 616 scars were found to initiate red heart formation, and the parameters of mechanistic variables were strongly correlated. The results suggest specifying the relationship between scars, knots and red heart, and extending the scope of the model.

Using a chain of models to simulate the distribution between quality clusters of a set of boards coming from a sessile oak (Quercus petraea Liebl.) resource. Validation of the simulations

Taking sessile oak as an example, this paper initially presents a method to predict the final production (quantity and quality) coming from a forest resource when two sets of data are available. The data sets are from two models: measured or simulated ring width profiles from pith to bark of the constituent trees as well as a mixed model for the basic wood properties which are used to grade the boards into quality clusters. The second part of the paper contains a validation for the proposed method. Simulations are used to predict two basic wood properties (volumetric swelling coefficient and wood density) in the trees of a forest resource in relation to the ring width profile of each tree. The simulations are used to compute a map of these two basic properties in each plank derived from the trees. A quality index derived from this map of basic wood properties in the boards is then used to allocate the planks to quality clusters. The basic wood properties considered in this paper are modelled with linear mixed models. Since computation of the plank properties or definition of the grading rule can use several properties simultaneously, the models used to simulate the basic properties are joint models. Modelling jointly several properties with a mixed model consists of defining a covariance structure between the random effects of the model. Such a model can be substantial in terms of parameters and computational resources required, thus we compared three kinds of joint models. The simplest one is not quite a joint model but is simply obtained from the juxtaposition of independent models, one for each of the two properties taken into consideration. We also defined a model with a moderate covariance structure between the two properties, and lastly, we used a third model with a full covariance structure. Simulations of volumetric swelling coefficient, wood density and the resulting board grading were carried out with each of these three models. All give results roughly in accordance with the observations, but the two “truly” joint models give better results than the simplest model.

A PROCEDURE BASED ON CONDITIONAL PROBABILITIES TO ESTIMATE PROPORTIONS AND DENSITIES OF TISSUES FROM X-RAY IMAGES OF QUERCUS PETRAEA SAMPLES

This paper describes a procedure to estimate within-ring proportions and densities of earlywood vessels, fibres and parenchyma, and then validates the procedure for each tissue type. The procedure uses conditional probabilities for these estimates. It was developed using 16 annual growth rings of contrasting anatomy sampled from five mature sessile oaks (Quercus petraea Liebl.). The X-ray images of the sampled rings were converted into density maps and the two components of the rings (i.e. earlywood and latewood) were delimited manually. First, mean tissue densities of individual rings were estimated from anatomical characteristics combined with a simple analysis of the frequency histograms of density in earlywood and latewood. Second, the procedure used the radial position and density of each point of a digitised ring to calculate a probability for a point belonging to either vessels, multiseriate wood rays, fibres or axial parenchyma. The procedure was evaluated using i) measurements of tissue proportions from anatomical sections and ii) measurements of tissue densities performed on X-ray images. The validation demonstrates that the procedure provides an accurate estimation of the proportion and density of earlywood vessels, fibres and axial parenchyma in earlywood and latewood. However, it also demonstrates that the procedure is not sufficiently effective to estimate the proportion of multiseriate wood rays.

Theoretical and experimental study of a mechanical model describing the trunk behaviour of mature beech trees (Fagus sylvatica L.) under the static loading of the crown

The effect of the self-weight increment, caused by annual growth, can be one of the principal processes affecting the development of growth stresses linked to the formation of reaction wood. This paper presents a preliminary study focusing on the relationship between the whole weight of the crown and the trunk displacement it creates. A mechanical beam model is proposed and tested theoretically, as well as experimentally, on three mature beech trees. Once the suitability of the model has been established, a simple sensitivity test in proposed that highlights the principal parameters involved in displacement.