NONDESTRUCTIVE EVALUATION OF SALVAGE WHITE SPRUCE

Knowledge of wood quality in dead standing trees is an important topic with recent increases in defoliation across North America. Obtaining wood quality information for defoliated trees would help stakeholders in the timber products industry sort and sell salvaged material for the highest possible value. This research investigates the ability to measure wood quality of white spruce (Picea glauca) after spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana) attack using acoustic nondestructive evaluation. We compared stress wave velocities measured on standing trees to trees’ visual appearance. After harvest and processing of selected trees into bolts, standing-tree stress wave velocities were compared to bolt acoustic velocities. We found that tree appearance offers only coarse information on tree and bolt acoustic measurements. Tree-level measurements provide a good indicator of expected bolt-level acoustic evaluation throughout the height of defoliated white spruce. Future work should focus on correlating bolt-level acoustic measurements to lumber quality for salvage white spruce