Mechanical Characteristics of Korean Red Pines according to Provinces (Goseong, Hongcheon and Bonghwa-gun)

Abstract

This study investigated mechanical characteristics of pine trees in Yeongdong (Goseong-gun), Yeongseo (Hongcheongun), and Yeongnam (Bonghwa-gun) to define differences in the material quality among pine trees of the three regions. The compressive strength, hardness and shear strength of pine trees of each region were measured. There were no differences in the compressive strength of the juvenile woods among the regions, while the heartwood and sapwood in Bongwha generally showed the highest compressive strength followed by those in Hongcheon and in Goseong. The hardness of the cross-section of pines in Bonghwa was the highest, and in terms of the hardness of the radial and tangential sections, pines in Goseong topped the list.. There were no difference among heartwoods of each region in terms of the shear strength, but, but sapwood from Bonghwa had higher shear strength than those of the other two regions, which may be attributed to differences in tracheid length and microfibril angle among pines in each region. This study identifies the quality differences among pines of different region, and therefore, is expected to add value by helping choose the domestic pine tree material effectively and selectively, and also select a plus tree.