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• 1. [Article] Wood density of young-growth western hemlock: relation to ring age, radial growth, stand density, and site quality

  Breast-high stem sections were sampled from 56 western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.) trees growing in 15 plots representing a wide range of tree and site conditions in northwestern Oregon. ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Wood density of young-growth western hemlock: relation to ring age, radial growth, stand density, and site quality Author: Marshall, D. D., Gartner, B. L., Singleton, R., DeBell, D. S. Breast-high stem sections were sampled from 56 western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.) trees growing in 15 plots representing a wide range of tree and site conditions in northwestern Oregon. Growth and wood density traits of individual rings were measured via X-ray densitometry, and relationships of ring density and its components to age and growth rate were analyzed. Ring density was highest (0.49 g/cm3) near the pith, declined to 0.40 g/cm3 at age 10, remained stable to about age 25, and then increased gradually and remained between 0.43 and 0.44 g/cm3 from age 38 to 45 and beyond. A negative influence of rapid growth on whole ring density was greatest at young ages and diminished with time, becoming nonsignificant beyond age 30. Earlywood density, latewood density, and latewood proportion were all negatively related to ring width at young ages, but by age 21–25, latewood proportion was the only component of ring density that remained significantly diminished by increased growth rate. Residual differences in wood density (after age and growth rate were considered) did not appear to be related to either stand density or site class. Overall, young-growth hemlock trees are relatively uniform in wood density and likely to be more so if grown in intensively managed stands. Title: Wood density of young-growth western hemlock: relation to ring age, radial growth, stand density, and site quality Author: Marshall, D. D., Gartner, B. L., Singleton, R., DeBell, D. S. Breast-high stem sections were sampled from 56 western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.) trees growing in 15 plots representing a wide range of tree and site conditions in northwestern Oregon. Growth and wood density traits of individual rings were measured via X-ray densitometry, and relationships of ring density and its components to age and growth rate were analyzed. Ring density was highest (0.49 g/cm3) near the pith, declined to 0.40 g/cm3 at age 10, remained stable to about age 25, and then increased gradually and remained between 0.43 and 0.44 g/cm3 from age 38 to 45 and beyond. A negative influence of rapid growth on whole ring density was greatest at young ages and diminished with time, becoming nonsignificant beyond age 30. Earlywood density, latewood density, and latewood proportion were all negatively related to ring width at young ages, but by age 21–25, latewood proportion was the only component of ring density that remained significantly diminished by increased growth rate. Residual differences in wood density (after age and growth rate were considered) did not appear to be related to either stand density or site class. Overall, young-growth hemlock trees are relatively uniform in wood density and likely to be more so if grown in intensively managed stands. Close

• 2. [Article] Impact of the foliar pathogen Swiss needle cast on wood quality of Douglas-fir

  Many stands of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) near coastal areas of Oregon and Washington are heavily infected with the foliar pathogen causing Swiss needle cast (SNC) disease, and ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Impact of the foliar pathogen Swiss needle cast on wood quality of Douglas-fir Author: Gartner, B. L., Johnson, G. R., Grotta, A. T., Downes, G. Many stands of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) near coastal areas of Oregon and Washington are heavily infected with the foliar pathogen causing Swiss needle cast (SNC) disease, and yet there is very little research on the resulting wood quality. Modulus of elasticity (MOE), modulus of rupture (MOR), microfibril angle (MFA), wood density, latewood proportion, and sapwood moisture content were examined in 20- to 28-year-old trees from 15 stands that were infected with varying intensities of SNC. SNC severity was quantified by measuring needle retention, the number of needle cohorts retained at three crown levels. Correlations between disease severity and wood properties were examined at both the stand and within-stand levels. Trees from heavily infected stands (needle retention <2 years) had higher MOE, wood density, and latewood proportion and lower sapwood moisture content than trees from healthier stands. Breast-height age (BHage) was also correlated with these properties, but age alone did not explain all of the increases. MFA was not associated with SNC severity. Within stands, needle retention was not associated with MOE or MOR. The increase in latewood proportion in diseased stands appears to be the driving factor behind their increase in stiffness (MOE). Ring width decreased with decreased needle retention, and the examined wood properties generally showed stronger correlations with ring width than with needle retention. Title: Impact of the foliar pathogen Swiss needle cast on wood quality of Douglas-fir Author: Gartner, B. L., Johnson, G. R., Grotta, A. T., Downes, G. Many stands of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) near coastal areas of Oregon and Washington are heavily infected with the foliar pathogen causing Swiss needle cast (SNC) disease, and yet there is very little research on the resulting wood quality. Modulus of elasticity (MOE), modulus of rupture (MOR), microfibril angle (MFA), wood density, latewood proportion, and sapwood moisture content were examined in 20- to 28-year-old trees from 15 stands that were infected with varying intensities of SNC. SNC severity was quantified by measuring needle retention, the number of needle cohorts retained at three crown levels. Correlations between disease severity and wood properties were examined at both the stand and within-stand levels. Trees from heavily infected stands (needle retention <2 years) had higher MOE, wood density, and latewood proportion and lower sapwood moisture content than trees from healthier stands. Breast-height age (BHage) was also correlated with these properties, but age alone did not explain all of the increases. MFA was not associated with SNC severity. Within stands, needle retention was not associated with MOE or MOR. The increase in latewood proportion in diseased stands appears to be the driving factor behind their increase in stiffness (MOE). Ring width decreased with decreased needle retention, and the examined wood properties generally showed stronger correlations with ring width than with needle retention. Close

• 3. [Article] Fiber length in young hybrid Populus stems grown at extremely different rates

  Length of libriform fibers was measured in rings 2 7 at breast height in 7-year-old hybrid poplar stems from two clones (11-11, a Populus trichocarpa Torr. & Gray ´ P. deltoides Bartr. ex Marsh. hybrid; ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Fiber length in young hybrid Populus stems grown at extremely different rates Author: Gartner, B. L., DeBell, J. D., DeBell, D. S. Length of libriform fibers was measured in rings 2 7 at breast height in 7-year-old hybrid poplar stems from two clones (11-11, a Populus trichocarpa Torr. & Gray ´ P. deltoides Bartr. ex Marsh. hybrid; and D-01, of unknown taxonomic identity) grown in a controlled test of three spacings (0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 m) on an irrigated and fertilized site in western Washington. In each clone, samples included a very wide range of cambial growth rates, with ring widths from 1 to 19 mm. Growth rate, expressed in several ways, had no consistent effect on fiber length within rings of the same age for rings 2 6. For ring 7, however, there were positive correlations between most growth rate measures and fiber length. Whole-disk fiber length increased with overall growth rate as measured by stem diameter; this apparent anomaly is caused by the fact that fast-growing trees have more of their basal area concentrated in rings further from the pith than do slower growing trees, and these rings have longer fibers compared with rings closer to the pith. Title: Fiber length in young hybrid Populus stems grown at extremely different rates Author: Gartner, B. L., DeBell, J. D., DeBell, D. S. Length of libriform fibers was measured in rings 2 7 at breast height in 7-year-old hybrid poplar stems from two clones (11-11, a Populus trichocarpa Torr. & Gray ´ P. deltoides Bartr. ex Marsh. hybrid; and D-01, of unknown taxonomic identity) grown in a controlled test of three spacings (0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 m) on an irrigated and fertilized site in western Washington. In each clone, samples included a very wide range of cambial growth rates, with ring widths from 1 to 19 mm. Growth rate, expressed in several ways, had no consistent effect on fiber length within rings of the same age for rings 2 6. For ring 7, however, there were positive correlations between most growth rate measures and fiber length. Whole-disk fiber length increased with overall growth rate as measured by stem diameter; this apparent anomaly is caused by the fact that fast-growing trees have more of their basal area concentrated in rings further from the pith than do slower growing trees, and these rings have longer fibers compared with rings closer to the pith. Close