Jukka Pietilä

Shape of Scots pine knots close to the stem pith.

Pietilä J. (1989). Shape of Scots pine knots close to the stem pith. Silva Fennica vol. 23 no. 4 article id 5391. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.a15549

Abstract

The shape of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) knots close to the pith of butt logs was investigated. 1,100 knots were split in a vertical direction, and their shape was measured. Knot diameter and branch angle were calculated at a distance of 40 mm from the pith of the stem. The mean diameter of all the knots in the material was 14 mm, and the branch angle 70°. Regression analysis was used to devise a formula for predicting branch angle on the basis of knot diameter. Knot size and branch angle were negatively correlated. Especially the shape of larger knots was curved. Knots achieved their maximum diameter at distance of 4–5 cm from the stem pith. The branch wood was almost completely situated above the formation point of the branch.

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Keywords
Pinus sylvestris; Scots pine; branch diameter; branch angle; knot diameter; knot shape

Published in 1989

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Available at https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.a15549 | Download PDF