However, wood Site URL List 1|]# processing industries in the region have been severely affected by the recent global economic downturn and the resulting fall in demand for Inhibitors,Modulators,Libraries structural wood products [1,2]. In remote areas (e.g., northern Quebec, Canada), the situation has been exacerbated by high harvesting and transport costs, which have increased the pressure to add value to the existing Inhibitors,Modulators,Libraries resource [3,4]. One way of achieving this is by diversifying output through the manufacture of value-added products such as machine stress-rated (MSR) lumber [5,6].The black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) BSP) and balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) dominated stands of the boreal forest [7] offer the potential to increase the production of MSR lumber Inhibitors,Modulators,Libraries for structural applications [8�C11].

This is due to the Inhibitors,Modulators,Libraries typically higher mechanical properties of wood from mature, slow-grown stands [8]. However, MSR lumber production currently represents only a small percentage of the total dimension lumber output when compared to visually-graded products [9]. Moreover, the large inherent variability in Inhibitors,Modulators,Libraries stand structure, species composition and ultimately stem quality, may lead to concerns about overall pass-rates under machine grading systems [10].For these reasons, forest managers are increasingly recognizing the importance of resource quality characterization earlier along the value chain. Ideally Inhibitors,Modulators,Libraries this information will be used to inform planning decisions so that raw material can be allocated to appropriate markets according to its predicted end-use properties [12].

Inhibitors,Modulators,Libraries As the design values of MSR lumber are derived from characteristic thresholds of lumber stiffness (modulus of elasticity, MOE) and strength (modulus of rupture, MOR), more accurate predictions of mean mechanical properties at the stand or regional scale could improve pass-rates by segregating poorer material prior to processing [13,14].Recently, new acoustic sensors have been developed Inhibitors,Modulators,Libraries for the rapid nondestructive evaluation (NDE) of standing trees and logs. These instruments are used to estimate MOE through its relationship with stress-wave velocity or acoustic resonance [15�C19]. Assessing wood stiffness prior to Cilengitide Entinostat processing can assist decision-making along a complex supply chain characterized by divergent processes [20].

Accordingly, acoustic resonance tools for the assessment of logs are inhibitor Pfizer increasingly being deployed in sawmills to streamline log sorting and improve grade recovery of veneers and structural products [19].

The uptake of standing tree acoustic tools, however, has been slower, largely due to the relatively weaker relationship between stress-wave velocity and the static MOE of sawn boards [18]. However, standing tree tools are useful for providing stand-level estimates of mean Vorinostat CAS wood stiffness prior to harvest, which can inform resource allocation decisions for individual forest stands.