Characteristics of Wound-Associated Wood of Yellow-Poplar (Liriodendron Tulipifera L.)

Selected anatomical characteristics and specific gravity of yellow-poplar wood formed after wounding and adjacent to the wound were compared to similar characteristics of yellow-poplar wood formed before and after wounding and away from the wound. The wood formed immediately after wounding was similar anatomically to the barrier zones described for other species. Vessel volume, vessel diameter, percentage of vessel multiples, and vessel element length were significantly lower in wound-associated wood, while ray volume, ray density, and specific gravity were significantly greater. Such changes in the vessel system would result in a decrease in conductivity in the wounded area, while the increase in parenchyma would increase the potential for manufacture of fungitoxic compounds. With increasing radial distance from the wound area, the anatomical features of the wound-associated wood gradually approached those of normal wood, although by four years after wounding, the wood still had not returned to normal. The specific gravity stayed significantly greater.