Shrinkage of Grand Fir Wood and its Variability within the Stem

This study presents the results of the experiment focused on assessment of the shrinkage of Grand fir (Abies grandis /Douglas/ Lindl.) wood and its variability in relation to the position in the stem. The examined sample trees came from the Černokostelecka Area in the Czech Republic. Tangential shrinkage was 7.1 %, radial 3.3 % and volumetric shrinkage 10.5 %. The results show evident influence of the horizontal position on the evaluated features. The lowest shrinkage values are attained close to the pith; shrinkage toward the bark shows a rising trend. In terms of vertical position, the distribution of shrinkage in the stem did not show any apparent trend. Although the dependence of shrinkage on density proved to be statistically significant, density explains only a small portion of the shrinkage variability.