Apical control of branch movements in white pine: Compression wood action

✍ Scribed by R. R. Archer; B. F. Wilson

• Publisher: Springer
• Year: 1982
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 552 KB
• Volume: 16
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0043-7719
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00353867

✦ Synopsis

The movements of branches or control stem girdled white pine (Pinus strobus L.) were analyzed using beam theory. The stresses generated in the compression wood (CW) produced bending moments to counter the added bending moments due to new branch growth. The branches on the treated trees produced additional CW after untreated trees stopped elongation and diameter growth. The intensity of the stresses in this additional CW was greater than in the other CW. Thus, branches on treated trees moved up vertically well beyond their initial orientation due to both more CW and more active CW. The branches on untreated trees all deflected downward as branch weight continued to increase after CW production stopped.