Estimating volume gains in genetically improved stands at rotation age is challenging because first-generation progeny tests in Douglas-fir were typically established to measure the relative growth performance of individual trees from open-pollinated parent trees. The overall goal of this dissertation research was to improve growth simulation of genetically improved Douglas-fir...
There are a number of wood properties which affect the quality of forest products such as lumber and pulp. Of these, wood density is considered by some to be the single most important physical characteristic because it is an excellent predictor of strength, stiffness, hardness, and paper-making capacities. Accurately assessing...
Understory conifer regeneration needs to occur beneath conifer-dominated
canopies if two-storied or uneven-aged structures are to be considered for western
Oregon Coast Range stand management. To ensure adequate numbers of seedlings
to meet stocking or habitat structure objectives, planting may be a solution. We
undertook a multi-level study to determine...
The objectives of this research were to isolate and
determine the molecular structures of certain polyphenols
in Douglas-fir and red alder barks. The compounds of
interest in Douglas-fir were the lignans which are
eventually incorporated into the outer bark phlobaphenes.
Phlobaphenes are the red colored, alcohol soluble, water
insoluble phenolic...
The use of the waterborne wood preservative, ammoniacal copper zinc
arsenate (ACZA), is likely to increase in the near future because of environmental
concerns associated with oilborne preservatives. Developing an understanding of the
permanence of this preservative in wood will become important from both
environmental and performance standpoints. Conventional thinking...
Chemical stains that develop on commercial woods are
problems of great economic importance. The polyphenol
oxidases catalyze the oxidation of the phenolics that
naturally exist in plants to quinones when the cell structure is disrupted. The quinones produced are further
oxidized and polymerized to melanin, the pigment which is
responsible...
There has been an increased interest in the
quantification of pattern in ecological systems over the past
years. This interest is motivated by the desire to construct
valid models which extend across many scales. Spatial methods
must quantify pattern, discriminate types of pattern, and
relate hierarchical phenomena across scales. Wavelet...
Overall wood density is a complex trait resulting from the interaction of three components: average earlywood density, average latewood density, and latewood proportion. In order to better understand the genetic control of wood density in juvenile Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco), and to assess the utility of
information on its...