Files
Abstract
The Virginia Tech Intensively Managed Plantation trials were established to better under-stand thinning effects; the experiment consists of three treatments: control, light, and heavy thin-ning with pruning. This study evaluated the effects of thinning on loblolly pine lumber grade and mechanical properties. 105 trees from 5 stands (i.e., 7 trees per treatment per stand) were felled in the Piedmont region of Virginia. Logs were machined into lumber, dried, visually graded, im-aged, non-destructively tested, and then destructively tested to determine mechanical properties. Analysis of variance was used to test the effects of treatment and grade on modulus of elasticity (MOE15) and modulus of rupture (MOR15) using a linear mixed-effects model. Light thinning produced higher lumber MOE15 (8.6 GPa) and MOR15 (32.2 MPa) compared to control (8.4 GPa and 32.2 MPa) and heavy thinning (8.2 GPa and 31.3 MPa). Log 1 had higher lumber MOE15 and MOR15 (9.0 GPa and 35.8 MPa) than logs 2 (8.1 GPa and 29.1 MPa) and 3 (7.2 GPa and 26.0 MPa).