Natural durability remains as one of the most attractive characteristics of wood, and helps these species obtain a premium price. A worldwide shift towards the use of younger trees from intensively managed forests has created greater concerns about wood quality, especially resistance to fungi and insects. Wood durability is assessed using a variety of standards. Some standards are based on destructive methods that measure weight loss after exposure to wood degrading organisms. These tests are useful but there are concerns about variabilities in durability classifications according to different testing methods. Furthermore, durability can be heavily influenced by variations within and between trees, sites, regions, genetic origin, and age. Thus, there is a need for a faster, non-destructive and economically viable technique for screening wood durability.
The aim of this study was to establish a rapid, non-destructive technique for determining natural durability. Infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR and NIR) with chemometric analysis was explored for classifying wood durability. The extractive contents of Alaska yellow cedar (Callitropsis nootkatensis) and western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis) were investigated to understand the variability that existed between and within trees, and the relationships between brown-rot decay (Gloeophyllum trabeum and Rhodonia placenta), termite (Reticulitermes flavipes) resistance, and the spectroscopic results were examined.
Tuesday, August 28, 2018 at 10:00am to 11:00am
Richardson Hall, 115
3180 SW Jefferson Way, Corvallis, OR 97331
Jessica King
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