Early knowledge of wood properties using wave propagation in young trees

Abstract

There is a strong interesting of the forestry sector in anticipating the characterization of the wood quality that will be produced by their clones. The development of nondestructive technology to evaluate the wood quality is essential, not only for works based on forestry areas yield, but also as a tool to selections in genetics programs. The anticipation of the selection reduces, significantly, the cycles of genetic improvements, having positive impacts economics and management. The hypothesis of this research is that it is possible; using wave propagation tests on stem of young trees, anticipate the knowledge of the wood to be produced by the tree. The main objective is to determine parameters that, associated with the velocity of wave propagation, will allowed improving the prediction of the wood quality from young trees. With these parameters we will study and propose models to predict this quality. To attempt these objectives were planning steps that will be evaluated by performance indicators or products. The first step is to deep in knowledge of the characteristics and conditions of the plants and of the tests that can affect the wave propagations when applied on young trees, and perform data collection related to this factors to the species adopted for the research. The second step is the application of the methodology to obtain the data of the velocity of wave propagation on young trees. The laboratory tests on stem will be the third step. A database with physical, mechanical, acoustical and anatomical properties will be the result of these steps. Using the database for the clones choosing for the study, the obtaining of models that added other parameters besides the velocity will constitute the fourth step. After choosing the model with better correlation with the properties of the wood the fifth step will be developed, that will be the application of this model in another sample. The indicator of this step will be the validation of the model proposed to infer the quality of the wood based on the tests on steam of the young trees. We wait, with this research, that will be possible to anticipate the knowledge of the properties of the wood, contributing with Brazilian forestall segment and with the technology appropriation. (AU)