PREMISE OF THE STUDY: The density of wood is highly correlated with the ability of stems and roots to resist bending or twisting, which is important for evaluating the mechanical behavior of trees. It also provides a measure of carbon storage, which is an important variable in modeling ecosystem processes and tree construction costs. However, most measurements of the density and mechanical properties of wood have little direct bearing on understanding the biomechanics of living plants because they are based on kiln- or air-dried samples. • METHODS: Here, we present and analyze the relationships between four important mechanical properties (Young's modulus, the modulus of rupture, and the maximum strength in shearing and in compression) and the density of green wood (i.e., wood at 50% moisture content) from a worldwide, taxonomically broad spectrum of 161 species. • KEY RESULTS: These data indicate that each of the mechanical properties disproportionately increases across species with increasing green wood density, i.e., stems composed of denser green wood are disproportionately stiffer and stronger than stems with equivalent cross-sections composed of less dense green wood. • CONCLUSIONS: Although denser wood may have a higher carbon construction cost, the mechanical benefits of denser woods likely outweigh the extra cost.
PREMISE OF THE STUDY: The density of wood is highly correlated with the ability of stems and roots to resist bending or twisting, which is important for evaluating the mechanical behavior of trees. It also provides a measure of carbon storage, which is an important variable in modeling ecosystem processes and tree construction costs. However, most measurements of the density and mechanical properties of wood have little direct bearing on understanding the biomechanics of living plants because they are based on kiln- or air-dried samples. • METHODS: Here, we present and analyze the relationships between four important mechanical properties (Young's modulus, the modulus of rupture, and the maximum strength in shearing and in compression) and the density of green wood (i.e., wood at 50% moisture content) from a worldwide, taxonomically broad spectrum of 161 species. • KEY RESULTS: These data indicate that each of the mechanical properties disproportionately increases across species with increasing green wood density, i.e., stems composed of denser green wood are disproportionately stiffer and stronger than stems with equivalent cross-sections composed of less dense green wood. • CONCLUSIONS: Although denser wood may have a higher carbon construction cost, the mechanical benefits of denser woods likely outweigh the extra cost.
Authors: T Jackson; A Shenkin; J Moore; A Bunce; T van Emmerik; B Kane; D Burcham; K James; J Selker; K Calders; N Origo; M Disney; A Burt; P Wilkes; P Raumonen; J Gonzalez de Tanago Menaca; A Lau; M Herold; R C Goodman; T Fourcaud; Y Malhi Journal: J R Soc Interface Date: 2019-06-05 Impact factor: 4.118
Authors: Jun Sun; Mantang Wang; Min Lyu; Karl J Niklas; Quanlin Zhong; Man Li; Dongliang Cheng Journal: Front Plant Sci Date: 2019-02-21 Impact factor: 5.753
Authors: Masha T van der Sande; Helge Bruelheide; Wayne Dawson; Jürgen Dengler; Franz Essl; Richard Field; Sylvia Haider; Mark van Kleunen; Holger Kreft; Joern Pagel; Jan Pergl; Oliver Purschke; Petr Pyšek; Patrick Weigelt; Marten Winter; Fabio Attorre; Isabelle Aubin; Erwin Bergmeier; Milan Chytrý; Matteo Dainese; Michele De Sanctis; Jaime Fagundez; Valentin Golub; Greg R Guerin; Alvaro G Gutiérrez; Ute Jandt; Florian Jansen; Borja Jiménez-Alfaro; Jens Kattge; Elizabeth Kearsley; Stefan Klotz; Koen Kramer; Marco Moretti; Ülo Niinemets; Robert K Peet; Josep Penuelas; Petr Petřík; Peter B Reich; Brody Sandel; Marco Schmidt; Maria Sibikova; Cyrille Violle; Timothy J S Whitfeld; Thomas Wohlgemuth; Tiffany M Knight Journal: Glob Ecol Biogeogr Date: 2019-12-01 Impact factor: 7.144