Tension Wood In Hardwoods

Singh in secondary xylem biology 2016 tension wood has high longitudinal.

Tension wood in hardwoods.

Conners in encyclopedia of materials. Longitudinal stress results because the wood is shrinking longitudinally. Adaptations the reaction wood is called tension wood and forms on the upper side of the lower trunk and exerts a contractive force that tends to pull the tree toward the upright position. In gymnosperms and amborella it is called.

Tension wood reaction wood. In most angiosperms reaction wood is called tension wood. Reaction wood in hardwoods is termed tension wood. Tension wood also known as reaction wood is a response of the tree to external stimuli the most common cause of tension wood formation is leaning of a tree.

Both strategies appear to work most of the time. It dries easily but may still have a tendency to warp with slight movement in performance. Trees that lean are uprooted bent from ice snow or trees growing on steep slopes may often have this eccentric reaction wood trait. The wood glues well and has good resistance to splitting when nailing and screwing.

Tension wood forms on the upper sides of hardwoods and contains more cellulose than normal wood. Compression wood is rich in lignin while tension wood is rich in. There are two different types of reaction wood which represent two different approaches to the same problem by woody plants. Wood with a high cellulose content is especially strong in tension and can resist bending downward.

Tension wood which occurs only in hardwoods is a special growth feature in the tree that involves the tree reacting to an outside force such as the wind another tree leaning against the tree. The tension wood is formed on the upper side of the leaning tree and is believed to be a physiological response to gravitational forces. Longitudinal shrinkage results when reaction wood tension wood in hardwoods or compression wood in softwoods or juvenile wood is present in the lumber. General machinability is fair although tension wood is frequently present and can cause a fuzzy surface when cut which in turn will require additional care when finishing.

Key differences reaction wood in angiosperms is tension wood and reaction wood in gymnosperms is compression wood. Bruce hoadley s understanding wood reaction wood forms predominantly toward the upper side of the leaning stem. In hardwoods there is generally less eccentricity associated with tension wood but the annual rings may be wider. Tension wood is 102.