Wood Property Assessment Services

Ensis offers a fast, cost-effective wood property analysis service for measuring commercially important wood and fibre properties. This information allows clients to better match tree/log/wood quality to process and product requirements.

Ensis laboratories have extensive experience with softwoods and hardwoods, using both destructive and non-destructive sampling techniques on 5mm and 12mm cores, discs, and logs.

Services offered:

• Planning and completing wood property surveys (density, tree stiffness – acoustics, spiral grain, internal checking). Includes development of customised predictive tools for standing tree and log wood density.
• Wood quality assessments
• Wood identification.

Facilities include:

• A well-equipped laboratory to efficiently and reliably assess a wide range of wood properties (described below).
• Range of tools for measuring standing tree, felled stem and log acoustics.
• A comprehensive workshop for sample breakdown and preparation.
• Silviscan.
• X-ray densitometry to provide detailed within- and between-ring properties.
• Ready access to services in electron microscopy, strength and stiffness testing, kiln drying, preservation, soil and foliage analysis, chemical analysis, and near infra-red (NIR) laboratory facilities.

Properties measured include:

• Wood density: increment cores or discs (ring groups, outerwood, juvenile wood).
• Shrinkage: radial, tangential, and longitudinal.
• Modulus of rupture.
• Silviscan measurements; Density, microfibril angle, fibre dimensions and stiffness (point by point or ring by ring).
• Ultra-structure and cell analysis.
• Internal checking.
• Compression wood.
• Spiral grain.
• Clearwood defects (resin pockets, blemishes, needlefleck, etc).
• Resin extraction.
• Tracheid length.
• Colour.

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