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  4. Looking for differences in wood properties as a function of the felling date: lunar phase-correlated variations in the drying behavior of Norway Spruce (Picea abies Karst.) and Sweet Chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.)
 
research article

Looking for differences in wood properties as a function of the felling date: lunar phase-correlated variations in the drying behavior of Norway Spruce (Picea abies Karst.) and Sweet Chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.)

Zuercher, Ernst
•
Schlaepfer, Rodolphe  
•
Conedera, M.
Show more
2010
Trees-Structure And Function

A large-scale field experiment on the drying behavior of Norway Spruce (Picea abies Karst.) and Sweet Chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) in relation to the felling date was conducted over a period of 24 weeks in order to investigate the existence of variations linked to lunar rhythms, which are mentioned as having a role in many traditional forestry practices. The measured criteria were the water loss from fresh to dry state, the shrinkage linked to this water loss, and the relative density (ratio between the dry density and the initial fresh density) for both sapwood and heartwood in Picea and heartwood in Castanea. In addition to seasonal trends, slight but significant variations with lunar periodicities (both synodic and sidereal; to a much lesser extent tropic) characterize the three investigated criteria. These lunar rhythmicities occur in both Picea and Castanea, in heartwood and sapwood. These results raise new questions and perspectives about a rhythmic character of the wood-water relation.

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Type
research article
DOI
10.1007/s00468-009-0376-2
Web of Science ID

WOS:000273481700004

Author(s)
Zuercher, Ernst
•
Schlaepfer, Rodolphe  
•
Conedera, M.
•
Giudici, F.
Date Issued

2010

Published in
Trees-Structure And Function
Volume

24

Start page

31

End page

41

Subjects

Forestry traditions

•

Moon phases

•

Technical drying

•

Wood-water relation

•

Seasonal-Changes

•

Bean-Seeds

•

Oak Wood

Editorial or Peer reviewed

REVIEWED

Written at

EPFL

EPFL units
ECOS  
Available on Infoscience
September 6, 2011
Use this identifier to reference this record
https://infoscience.epfl.ch/handle/20.500.14299/70765
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