Resumo

RIESCO MUNOZ, G  e  DIAZ GONZALEZ, J. PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF WOOD FROM THINNED PINES IN NORTHWEST SPAIN. Maderas, Cienc. tecnol. [online]. 2007, vol.9, n.3, pp. 233-244. ISSN 0718-221X.  doi: 10.4067/S0718-221X2007000300004.

Wood density, shrinkage, hygroscopicity and fibre saturation point were studied in young trees corresponding to three important species in the spanish timber production (Pinus pinaster, Pinus sylvestris and Pinus radiata). Twenty-nine thinned pines from different stands of Galicia (northwestern Spain) were sampled. The test material was small size defect-free specimens. The wood of Pinus pinaster exhibited intermediate density and more instability in dimensions, due to environmental moisture changes, than wood of Pinus radiata and Pinus sylvestris. These woods were light and relatively stable, especially Pinus radiata. The density in Pinus pinaster was similar to that obtained in previous studies on adult trees. Pinus radiata and Pinus sylvestris showed lower density than adult trees. The shrinkage properties were similar in the analyzed young wood and in the wood of adult trees, excepting the wood sampled for Pinus radiata, more stable than adult wood. Even with a sample of trees from the same stand in a specific site, there were significant differences in wood density among positions in each tree and among trees

Palavras-chave : Pinus; physical properties of wood; thinning; Galicia.