Wood properties of juvenile and mature wood of Pinus radiata D. Don trees growing on contrasting sites in Chile

Abstract

Site differences in wood properties of intensively managed radiata pine plantations in Chile have not been fully studied. Wood properties of 17-year-old trees from the same half-sib family growing at three contrasting sites were compared. The objectives of this research were to (1) quantify between-site differences in juvenile and mature wood, (2) investigate the radial pattern of wood properties, (3) characterize the strength of relationships between wood properties, and (4) evaluate between-site differences for early- and latewood properties. Although the growth rate among sites was similar, there were significant between-site differences in wood density (WD), modulus of elasticity (MOE), and latewood proportion (LWP) for juvenile and mature wood. Ring width (RW) and microfibril angle (MFA) showed a decreasing pith to bark pattern, whereas WD, MOE, cell wall thickness, and LWP exhibited an increasing pith-to-bark pattern. RW showed a significant negative correlation with WD, MOE, and LWP and a significant positive correlation with MFA for mature wood. We found that between-site differences in WD and MOE were higher in the latewood component for juvenile and mature wood. As latewood properties showed greater between-site variation, these are likely to be more suitable for studying the climatic effects on wood properties.