THE ROLE OF EARLYWOOD AND LATEWOOD PROPERTIES ON DIMENSIONAL STABILITY OF

Abstract. The role of tree ring location and height within tree has a very significant impact on the properties of earlywood and latewood. This paper explores the role of earlywood and latewood properties on the dimensional stability of loblolly pine. Test results from isolated 1 mm by 1 mm by 30 mm pieces of earlywood and latewood show the differences in earlywood and latewood make different contributions to the stability of timber. Latewood is more sensitive to changes in moisture and shrinks longitudinally differently than earlywood. Influencing the proportion and properties of latewood can have a significant impact on the dimensional stability of wood. Determining hemicellulose chemistry may be a tool to identify material that is susceptible to high longitudinal shrinkage. 1