Compatibility between resin tapping management of Pinus pinaster during the last three years and its uses as solid wood

Abstract

Unlike the conventional resin tapping processes throughout long periods of time or the complete life of the trees, in which the cellular and physical–mechanical characteristics of the whole wood could be modified, the resin tapping system, only in the last years before the ideal-timber cutting shift, shows no significant influence on some physical–mechanical timber properties. Samples of one-face and two-face resin-tapped trees were compared with samples of untapped tress. Using wood density as a reference property in solid wood and after checking the normality of the samples, no significant differences were observed. Therefore, according to the results of this work, the tapping process in the last three years combined with timber logging should not affect or limit its use as solid wood. For a better adjustment in the study, untapped wood and wood from resin tapping logs of the furthest (upper) and closest (lower) part from the tapping area were compared. The wood density mean values were, respectively for the upper and lower areas: 557 kg/m³ and 570 kg/m³ for one-face resin-tapped wood; 567 kg/m³ and 564 kg/m³ for two-face resin-tapped wood; and 556 kg/m³ and 560 kg/m³ for untapped wood. The tapping techniques used in the study are identified as common extract methods, and, according to the results, adequate added value with multifunctional forest use without a potential depreciation in the mechanical properties was found.