Canadian Forest Service Publications
Internal defect resulting from logging wounds in residual white pine trees. 1979. Whitney, R.D.; Brace, L.G. Forestry Chronicle 55(1): 8-12.
Year: 1979
Issued by: Northern Forestry Centre
Catalog ID: 23372
Language: English
Availability: Order paper copy (free), PDF (request by e-mail)
Abstract
About 20% of residual white pine (Pinus strobus L.) trees, 55 to 80 years old, were wounded despite a carefully supervised improvement logging operation. Five years after logging, samples of the most severe wound types revealed very little internal defect (avg of 0.25% of gross merchantable volume decayed and 0.39% stained). Thirteen decay-causing basidiomycetes were isolated from the decays and stains in wounded tissues, some of which (Stereum sanguinolentum (Alb. and Schw. ex Fr.) Fr., Coniophora puteana (Schum. ex Fr.) Karst., Fomes pini (Fr.) Karst., and Scytinostroma galactinum [Fr.] Donk), are known to be capable of extensive decay in mature white pine or other conifers. Several of the other fungi are of unpredictable importance in white pine. Felling scrapes and skidder scrapes on tree trunks, gouges in the wood caused by skidders, and broken tree tops were most frequently invaded by wood rotting fungi. Modifications to logging procedures are suggested that would reduce the incidence and severity of these wounds.