Unusual Wood Properties Near the Tree Center

Abstract

Abnormal wood characteristics are often found near the center of the tree, in the juvenile wood zone, but these are usually not intrinsic wood properties. Such abnormalities often occur in the center of rapidly grown trees, especially in the hardwoods (Kellison 1981). Although located in the juvenile wood zone, most of the unusual characteristics are established after the cessation of juvenile wood production; they are usually formed as chemical deposits as the tree ages or as an increase of internal stresses as the tree grows in size. Perhaps these unusual wood characteristics should not be included in a book on juvenile wood, but many laymen and even some foresters equate them with juvenile wood, and they do have a major effect on the utilization of wood from the juvenile zone.