Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

In situ wood quality assessment in Douglas-fir

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Tree Genetics & Genomes Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The genetic control and phenotypic and genotypic correlations among wood density, modulus of elasticity, height, diameter, and volume were assessed using 967 trees representing 20 unrelated 32-year-old coastal Douglas-fir full-sib families growing on four (spaced and pruned vs. control) comparable test sites. Generally, no significant differences were observed between treatments, indicating their limited effect at assessment time. Family effect did not differ for the growth traits; however, significant differences were observed for wood density and both in situ methods (drilling resistance and acoustic velocity). Growth and wood quality attributes, individually, produced high and positive phenotypic and genetic correlations; however, high and negative correlations were observed between individual variables belonging to the two suites of attributes. Individual tree heritabilities were low for growth (0.04 to 0.08) and modest to high for wood quality attributes (0.14 to 0.68). The observed heritabilities and phenotypic and genotypic correlations imply modest to strong genetic control; however, they operated in opposing direction. The significant and consistent genetic correlations between the in situ methods and wood density and stiffness support their use as a non-destructive and economic assessment approach. The reliability of the in situ assessments was verified through cumulative pith-to-bark wood density assessment, resulting in inconsistent genetic and phenotypic correlations for early growth years. These latter findings imply that caution should be used in employing these in situ techniques as early screening tools in breeding programs.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) (1982) Annual book of ASTM standards, part 22: wood; adhesives. American Society for Testing and Materials, Philadelphia, 1204 pp

  • American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) (1985) Standard test methods for specific gravity of wood and wood-based materials. American Society for Testing and Materials, Philadelphia, ASTM D 2395-02

  • American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) (2005) Standard test methods of static tests of lumber in structural sizes. American Society for Testing and Materials International, Philadelphia, ASTM D 198-05

  • Andrews M (2002) Wood quality measurement—son et lumière. NZ J For Sci 47:19–21

    Google Scholar 

  • Becker WA (1992) Manual of quantitative genetics, 5th edn. Academic, Pullman, 189 pp

  • Bouffier L, Raffin A, Rozenberg P, Meredieu C, Kremer A (2008a) What are the consequences of growth selection on wood density in the French maritime pine breeding programme? Tree Genet Genomes. doi:10.1007/s11295-008-0165-x

    Google Scholar 

  • Bouffier L, Charlot C, Raffin A, Rozenberg P, Kremer A (2008b) Can wood density be efficiently selected at early stage in maritime pine (Pinus pinaster Ait.)? Ann For Sci. doi:10.1051/forest:2007078

    Google Scholar 

  • Brix H (1992) Fertilization and thinning effects on Douglas-fir ecosystem at Shaawnigan lack: a synthesis of project results. Forest Resources Development Agreement Report, For. Can., Victoria, 77 pp

  • Bucur V (1995) Wood acoustic characterization by ultrasound. IEEE Ultrasonics Symposium, pp 615–623

  • Carter P, Briggs D, Ross RJ, Wang X (2005) Acoustic testing to enhance western forest values and meet customer wood quality needs. In: Harrington CA, Schoenholtz SH (eds) Productivity of Western forests: a forest products focus. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-642. US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Portland, pp 121–129

    Google Scholar 

  • Chantre G, Rozenberg P (1997) Can drill resistance profiles (Resistograph) lead to within-profile and within-ring density parameters in Douglas fir wood? In: Zhang SY, Gosselin R, Chauret G (eds) Proc. CTIA-IUFRO Inter. Wood Quality Workshop: Timber management toward wood quality and end-product values. Forintek Canada, Sainte-Foy, pp 41–47

    Google Scholar 

  • Cherry ML, Vikram V, Briggs D, Cress DW, Howe GT (2008) Genetic variation in direct and indirect measures of wood stiffness in coastal Douglas-fir. Can J For Res 38:2476–2486

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Costa-e-Silva J, Borralho NMG, Wellendorf H (2000) Genetic parameter estimates for diameter growth. Pilodyn penetration and spiral grain in Picea abies (L.) Karst. Silvae Genet 49:29–36

    Google Scholar 

  • Cown DJ (1978) Comparison of the pilodyn and torsiometer methods for the rapid assessment of wood density in living trees. NZ J For Sci 8:384–391

    Google Scholar 

  • Dungey HS, Matheson AC, Kain D, Evans R (2006) Genetics of wood stiffness and its component traits in Pinus radiata. Can J For Res 36:1165–1178

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Evans R, Stringer S, Kibblewhite RP (2000) Variation of microfibril angle, density and fibre orientation in twenty-nine Eucalyptus nitens trees. Appita J 53:450–457

    Google Scholar 

  • Gough G, Barnes RD (1984) A comparison of three methods of wood density assessment in a Pinus elliottii progeny test. South Afr For J 128:22–25

    Google Scholar 

  • Hansen JK, Roulund H (1997) Genetic parameters for spiral grain, stem form, pilodyn and growth in 13 years old clones of Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr.). Silvae Genet 46:107–113

    Google Scholar 

  • Hill WG, Goddard ME, Visscher PM (2008) Data and theory point to mainly additive genetic variance for complex traits. PLoS Genet 4:1–10

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Howe GT, Jayawickrama KM, Cherry GR, Johnson NC (2006) Breeding Douglas-fir. Plant Breed Rev 27:245–353

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Isik F, Li B (2003) Rapid assessment of wood density of live trees using the Resistograph for selection in tree improvement programs. Can J For Res 33:2426–2435

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Isik F, Gumpertz M, Li B, Goldfarb B, Sun X (2008) Analysis of cellulose microfibril angle (MFA) using a linear mixed model in Pinus taeda clones. Can J For Res 38:2687–2696

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson GR, Gartner BL (2006) Genetic variation in basic density and modulus of elasticity of coastal Douglas-fir. Tree Genet Genomes 3:25–33

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Koch L, Fins L (2000) Genetic variation in wood specific gravity from progeny tests of ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Laws.) in northern Idaho and Western Montana. Silvae Genet 49:174–181

    Google Scholar 

  • Mansfield SD, Iliadis L, Avramidis S (2007) Neural network prediction of bending strength and stiffness in western hemlock. Holzforschung 61:707–716

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Megraw RA, Leaf G, Bremer D (1998) Longitudinal shrinkage and microfibril angle in loblolly pine. In: Butterfield BA (ed) Microfibril angle in wood. University of Canterbury Press, Christchurch, pp 27–61

    Google Scholar 

  • Moura VPG, Barnes RD, Birks JS (1987) A comparison of three methods of assessing wood density in provenance of Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnh., and other Eucalyptus species in Brazil. Aust For Res 17:83–90

    Google Scholar 

  • Pellerin RF, Ross RJ (2002) Transverse vibration and longitudinal stress wave nondestructive evaluation of wood. In: Pellerin RF, Ross RJ (eds) Nondestructive evaluation of wood. Forest Products Society Publ. 7250. Forest Products Society, Madison, pp 13–35

    Google Scholar 

  • Raymond CA, MacDonald AC (1998) Where to shoot your pilodyn: within tree variation in basic density in plantation E. globules and E. nitens in Tasmania. New For 15:205–221

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rinn F, Scheweingruber FH, Schar E (1996) Resistograph and X-ray density charts of wood comparative evaluation of drill resistance profiles and X-ray density charts of different wood species. Holzforschung 50:303–311

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ross RJ, Wang X (2005) A review of the use of acoustic speed to assess standing timber quality, 5 pp. Available at http://www.fibre-gen.com/pdf/

  • Schumacher FX, Hall FS (1933) Logarithmic expression of timber-tree volume. J Agric Res 47:719–734

    Google Scholar 

  • Sprague JR, Talbert JT, Jett JB, Bryant RL (1983) Utility of the Pilodyn in selection for mature wood specific gravity in loblolly pine. For Sci 29:696–701

    Google Scholar 

  • Stoencypher RW, Piesch RF, Helland GG, Chapman JG, Reno HJ (1996) Results from test of selected parents of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii [Mirb.] Franco) in an applied tree improvement program. For Sci Monograph 32, 35 pp

  • Taylor FW (1981) Rapid determination of southern pine specific gravity with Pilodyn tester. For Sci 27:59–61

    Google Scholar 

  • Tsoumis G (1991) Science and technology of wood: structure, properties and utilization. Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Ukrainetz NK, O’Neill GA (2010) An analysis of sensitivities contributing measurement error to Resistograph values. Can J For Res 40:806–811

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ukrainetz NK, Kang K-Y, Aitken SN, Stoehr M, Mansfield SD (2008) Heritability, phenotypic and genetic correlations of coastal Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) wood quality traits. Can J For Res 38:1536–1546

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Villeneuve M, Morgenstern EK, Sebastian LP (1987) Estimation of wood density in family tests of jack pine and black spruce using the Pilodyn tester. Can J For Res 17:1147–1149

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang T, Aitken SN, Rozenberg P, Carlson MR (1999) Selection for height growth and pilodyn pin penetration in lodgepole pine: effects on growth traits, wood properties, and their relationships. Can J For Res 29:434–445

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang X, Ross RJ, Erikson JR, Ligon JB (2002) Stress wave nondestructive evaluation of wood properties in trees. In: Proceedings of the SEM IX International Congress on Experimental Mechanics, 5–8 June, Orlando, FL, pp 276–278

  • White TL, Adams WT, Neale DB (2007) Forest genetics. CABI, Oxford

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Winistorfer PM, Xli W, Wimmer R (1995) Application of drill resistance technique for density profile measurement in wood composite panels. For Prod J 45:50–53

    Google Scholar 

  • Yanchuk AD (1996) General and specific combining ability from disconnected partial diallels of coastal Douglas-fir. Silvae Genet 45:37–45

    Google Scholar 

  • Yanchuk AD, Kiss GK (1993) Genetic variation in growth and wood specific gravity and its utility in the improvement of interior spruce in British Columbia. Silvae Genet 42:141–148

    Google Scholar 

  • Yeh FC, Heaman JC (1987) Estimating genetic parameters of height growth in seven-year old coastal Douglas-fir from disconnected diallels. For Sci 33:946–957

    Google Scholar 

  • Zobel BJ, Talbert JT (1984) Applied forest tree improvement. Wiley, New York

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We thank M. Clark and G. Middleton for highlighting the need for the project, J. Krakowski and J. Nixon for technical support, and the FP Innovations, Forintek Division for wood testing. This study is funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada—IRC grants to YAK.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Forest Sciences, Faculty of Forestry, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada

    Yoursy A. El-Kassaby

  2. Department of Wood Science, Faculty of Forestry, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada

    Shawn Mansfield

  3. Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, North Carolina State University, Campus Box 8002, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA

    Fikret Isik

  4. BC Ministry of Forests and Range, Research Branch, Victoria, BC, V8W 9C2, Canada

    Michael Stoehr

Authors
  1. Yoursy A. El-Kassaby
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Shawn Mansfield
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Fikret Isik
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Michael Stoehr
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yoursy A. El-Kassaby.

Additional information

Communicated by A. Kremer

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

El-Kassaby, Y.A., Mansfield, S., Isik, F. et al. In situ wood quality assessment in Douglas-fir. Tree Genetics & Genomes 7, 553–561 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11295-010-0355-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11295-010-0355-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation