📘 Read the full study in Forestry, Vol. 96 (2023): https://doi.org/10.1093/forestry/cpac063 or contact Dr. Joe Dahlen for more information.
Understanding wood stiffness is essential for producing high-performance lumber and engineered wood products. Traditionally, this requires measuring both specific gravity (SG) and microfibril angle—an expensive and time-consuming process. A 2023 study by Dr. Joe Dahlen et al. offers a practical alternative: using ultrasonic velocity (USV) as a proxy for microfibril angle.
The research involved analyzing over 8,000 growth rings from 400 radial sample from 92 loblolly pine trees. By combining SG and USV data, the team accurately predicted the dynamic modulus of elasticity (MOE), a key indicator of wood stiffness. Their models captured how stiffness varies within a tree— from the center of the tree (pith) to the outer edge (bark) and from top to bottom—with high precision (R² up to 0.71 for USV and 0.69 for MOE).
🌲For forestry professionals, this means:
- Lower-cost, scalable wood quality assessments
- Improved selection of trees for structural applications
- Enhanced modeling of product performance from standing timber
As the demand for high-quality wood in construction grows, tools like USV-based modeling will be vital for optimizing forest value and sustainability.
