Comparison of results between visual and machine strength grading of Polish-grown pine timber (Pinus sylvestris L.) from the Baltic Forestry Region

Abstract

Comparison of results between visual and machine strength grading of Polish-grown pine timber (Pinus sylvestris L.) from the Baltic Forestry Region. The paper presents the analysis of results of strength grading of Scots pine wood (Pinus sylvestris L.) with two different methods: visual and machine strength grading, conducted on raw material from the Baltic Forestry Region. Visual strength grading was carried out in accordance with PN-D-94021:2013, while machine strength grading was performed with the use of the MTG device by a Dutch company, Brookhuis Electronics BV. The machine assisted method of timber strength grading proved to be more efficient, resulting in a higher amount of timber in the C30 class (28.7%) than in the best (KW) class after visual strength grading (3.3%). On the basis of the conducted tests, it has been confirmed that machine strength grading results in very few (6.0%) rejected timber pieces. At the same time, there have been cases of timber pieces that hadn't been classified in any of the classes or rejected during machine strength grading. Such pieces were treated as rejected.