Abstract
Loblolly pine is increasingly grown on intensively managed plantation forests that yield excellent growth; however, lumber cut from these trees often contains a large percentage of juvenile wood which negatively impacts strength and stiffness. Because of changing forest management and mill practices the design values for visually graded southern pine were updated in 2013 to more accurately account for the material properties available in commerce. This study was undertaken to assess the bending strength and stiffness of loblolly pine lumber from intensively managed stands located on the Georgia Lower Coastal Plain. Eight hundred and forty-one pieces of lumber sawn from 93 trees age 24–33 years were tested in four-point bending according to ASTM International standards. The No. 1 grade MOE15 (11.9 GPa) was greater than the current (11.0 GPa) design value and comparable to the previous (11.7 GPa) design value. The No. 2 grade MOE15 (10.6 GPa) was greater than the current (9.7 GPa) design value but slightly less than the previous (11.0 GPa) design values. The No. 3 grade MOE15 (9.3 GPa) was between the current (9.0 GPa) design value and the previous (9.7 GPa) design value. Altogether, these results point to the MOE15 mean values being reasonably comparable to the previous design values and currently meeting or exceeding the current design values for visually graded southern pine lumber.
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Acknowledgments
This research was possible through support from Plum Creek Timber Company, the National Science Foundation (NSF) Center for Advanced Forest Systems (CAFS) and the Wood Quality Consortium (WQC) at the University of Georgia. The authors wish to thank Plum Creek Timber Company, NSF CAFS, and the WQC for funding this project. We also gratefully acknowledge Varn Wood Products LLC. who processed the logs into structural lumber in their sawmill.
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Butler, M.A., Dahlen, J., Daniels, R.F. et al. Bending strength and stiffness of loblolly pine lumber from intensively managed stands located on the Georgia Lower Coastal Plain. Eur. J. Wood Prod. 74, 91–100 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00107-015-0956-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00107-015-0956-3