Thickness and roughness measurements for air-dried longleaf pine bark
This article is part of a larger document. View the larger document here.Abstract
Bark thicknesses for longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) were investigated using disks collected from trees harvested on a 70-year-old plantation. Maximum inner bark thickness was relatively constant along the tree bole whereas maximum outer bark thickness showed a definite decrease from the base of the tree to the top. The minimum whole bark thickness followed the same trend as the inner bark thickness while maximum whole bark thickness followed the same trend as the outer bark thickness. Greater bark thicknesses were observed along the northern face of the tree bole. Minimum/maximum whole bark thickness ratios, used as a measure of bark roughness, were fairly constant from the base of the tree up to a relative height near 60 percent; increasing values further up the bole reflected decreasing bark roughness. Comparisons of the data from the northern and southern faces suggested asymmetries in bark roughness around the circumference. Altogether, results demonstrate intriguing aspects of longleaf pine bark variability along the tree bole and in the four cardinal directions.