A new method for rapid measurement of vessel-free density distribution in hardwoods

Abstract

A new technique is presented for rapid and accurate determination of fibre density distribution in hardwood samples from increment cores. Two of the major factors limiting the accuracy of conventional wood densitometry are the presence of vessels in hardwoods and irregularities in the shape of growth rings in the sample. These factors are properly accounted for in the proposed method which leads to a significant improvement in the accuracy of fibre density determination. The method combines X-ray densitometry data with the information available in optical images of the sample surface and is intended for application with SilviScan-2.