%0 Research article
%T Growth strain in Eucalyptus nitens at different stages of development
%A Biechele, Tobias
%A Nutto, Leif
%A Becker, Gero
%D 2009
%J Silva Fennica
%V 43
%N 4
%R doi:10.14214/sf.187
%U https://silvafennica.fi/article/187
%X Eucalypts are renowned for their high growth stress levels. These  stresses cause splitting, warping and dimensional instability when  cutting, processing and drying the wood. In Chile, large Eucalyptus  nitens plantations can be found, which, due to these problems, are  scarcely utilised for solid wood products (veneer, sawn wood). This  study aims to determine the factors influencing growth stress at  different stages of tree’s development, and to identify whether the  factors influencing growth stress change over time. In five stands of  different ages, growth strain, as an indicator of growth stress, was  measured at different tree heights with the single hole drilling method.  The tree variables DBH, tree height, slenderness (height/diameter  ratio) and crown parameters also were measured. A correlation analysis  of tree variables and growth strains was undertaken. The results  obtained indicate a high variability in growth strain values. It was  concluded that growth strain is not correlated with a single growth  parameter, but with a combination of factors that variously influence it  at different ages and tree heights.