Current issue: 58(4)
Dimensions (length, width and thickness) of needles in crowns of young Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) were found to be related linearly to each other. Similarly, the needle area was linearly correlated with the needle biomass. In the lower crown, needle length was linearly correlated with the length of the shoot, but in the upper crown needle length did not vary according to any regular pattern. Needle density was negatively correlated with shoot length. In the lower crown the needle density varied 20–40 cm-1 and in the upper crown 15– 20 cm-1. The increasing angle of aging needles seemed to be characteristic for Scots pine shoots.
The PDF includes an abstract in Finnish.
On the basis of a limited material, the drying of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) H. Karst.) timber at room temperature decreased the thickness of the bark proportionally to the decrease in the moisture content. The decrease was the greatest in the middle portion of the trunk. In the spruce material, the decrease in bark thickness was exceeded by the shrinkage of the wood. During soaking, the bark thickness of both tree species decreased, too, contrary to the presupposed hypothesis. In both cases, the shrinkage was the greatest in the middle portion of the trunk. In the spruce material, the decrease in bark thickness was exceeded by the shrinkage of the wood. Possible explanation for the phenomenon is discussed.
The PDF includes a summary in English.