Chemical composition of Loblolly pine wood as related to specific gravity, growth rate, and distance from pith

Summary

The alpha-cellulose, hemicellulose, holocellulose, lignin, and extractive contents of wood removed from stems of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) and factorially segregated by specific gravity, rings from the pith, and growth rate were determined from sample chips. The independent relationships of each factor with chemical composition are described.

Zusammenfassung

Aus Probespänen von Loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) wurden die alpha-Cellulose, Hemicellulose, Holocellulose, Lignin und Extraktstoffe bestimmt und faktorenanalytisch gegen die Dichte, den Jahrringabstand vom Mark und die Wuchsgeschwindigkeit abgegrenzt. Die „gereinigten” Beziehungen jedes Faktors zur chemischen Zusammensetzung des Holzes werden beschrieben.

In the research reported here, the chemical composition of a sample of loblolly pine wood was analyzed in relation to three readily measured gross wood characteristics: specific gravity, growth rate, and distance from the pith. As in a previous study relating fiber morphology to these three properties [McMillin, 1968], wood was removed from many stems and stratified by two densities and two growth rates at each of three radial positions in the stem. Thus, the factorial design permitted isolation of the independent relationships of each factor with various chemical components. Characterizing wood types in this way is quite distinct from studying variations in the chemical composition of stems.