A review of non-destructive wood properties assessment in Nigeria: Challenges and solutions

Abstract

The traditional method for evaluating wood quality in standing trees is to extract core samples from living trees using an  increment borer, analyzing trees growth trends based on inspection of the ring patterns, and measuring basic wood  properties (density and stiffness) in a laboratory. This procedure has been used by foresters around the world for many  years for defining wood quality of forest resources. The aim of this review article is to describe, assess and compare  known semi-destructive and non-destructive methods for the assessment of wood properties challenges faced in  Nigeria. The main disadvantages of this method are as follows: first, it is time consuming and labor intensive, which  often prevents its use because of the high cost involved; and second, the tree is wounded in the coring process even  though it has been practiced as a “non-destructive” sampling procedure. To achieve rapid, reliable, and economical  wood quality assessment in trees, forest managers and landowners are interested in implementing more robust non- destructive testing technologies in field operations. To maximize utilization of our forest resources, detailed knowledge   of wood property variation and the impacts this has on end-product performance is required at multiple scales
(within and among trees, regionally). The emergence of many non-destructive evaluation (NDE) methodologies offers the potential to greatly enhance our understanding of the forest resource; however, it is critical to recognize that any  technique has its limitations and it is important to select the appropriate technique for a given application.