Authors: Fontaine Florence Mothe Frédéric Colin Francis Duplat Pierre
Publish Date: 2003/12/12
Volume: 18, Issue: 3, Pages: 295-306
Abstract
Timber quality and value could be reduced by the emergence and persistence of epicormic formations in Quercus petraea Apart from epicormic branches little information is available on other epicormic formations such as clusters of buds and burrs We propose a classification based on a description of epicormic formations’ shape and the dimensions of traces developed in the wood This enabled us to understand their ontogeny and their relationships and to evaluate defects formed in the wood The final classification contains four types 1 type b characterised by a shoot stump with a diameter less than 15 mm either bearing or not bearing buds 2 type g comprising thin epicormic shoots diameter 15 mm without epicormic buds at their base 3 type bt comprising a group of thin epicormic shoots 5 mm diameter and epicormic buds borne either by a small shoot stump or directly from the trunk and 4 type gt comprising thick epicormic shoots diameter 15 mm bearing buds and/or epicormic shoots at their base We propose the following relationship between the different types of epicormic formations an epicormic bud develops into a thin shoot type g the shoot can either partially die and induce a cluster of buds type b which then give rise to type bt or survive and form an epicormic branch type gt In parallel we show that defects increase from type g to type gt Type g induces minor defects since the knots in the wood are small sound and single whereas type gt produces major defects with knots that are generally large rotten and groupedThe authors wish to thank the ONF for providing the material and the for financing of this work INRA technicians Bruno Garnier and Daniel Rittié for technical help and Mike Badia PhD and Thiery Constant wood scientist for advice on processing the 3Dimages
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