Use of non-destructive techniques to optimise the production of structural products from Eucalyptus plantations grown for fibre

This study presents an investigation of acoustic testing and additional wood quality characterisation of a plantation Eucalyptus nitens resource along the processing chain from standing trees to products in a stand established and managed for fibre production in Tasmania.

The role of Eucalyptus plantations in meeting market demand for non-fibre wood products is gaining importance as the availability of native forest resources is decreasing internationally. Fibre-managed eucalypt plantations constitute a resource that has potential to meet this increasing demand for structural applications as value-added engineered products. The challenge in meeting these potential markets is to better understand and communicate the wood quality characteristics of standing trees and logs and effectively and reliably relate these to performance attributes in the final products. p>

Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) techniques can be used to characterise wood quality in standing trees and logs through the estimation of traits related to important structural attributes such as stiffness and density. However, the current ability to relate indirect measures of wood quality to final product performance is hindered by the need for further validation along the production chain (from standing tree to sawn board or engineered product). p>

Trees were followed through the harvesting, segregation and sawing process; wood quality characteristics were tested at different stages to determine the relationships between traits measured with NDT techniques on trees, logs and sawn boards. The results of our study also provide information needed for a possible review of how plantation Eucalyptus logs are graded, potentially using a more product performance focussed approach.