Shigometry Means At Cook State Park Forest   John A. Keslick, Jr.
  Jan 17, 2006 09:10 PST 

SHIGOMETRY MEASUREMENTS

I thought I would share these test results.
Twenty trees tested for each mean. Cambial Electrical Resistance (CER) was
taken at breast height with two readings per tree. I will only list the
ones I have a mean for. I do have a question. I wonder if, on or about,
August 29th if these species are done growing in girth thus the cambial zone
(CZ) would then be in the resting state? The CER number works as follows.
Within a species the higher the CER the less vitality the tree has. Why -
the bigger the cambium zone the more electricity will travel through the CZ.
The CZ is like an accordion. During the growing season in girth, the CZ is
expanded like an accordion. During the resting period of the CZ, the CZ
width is reduced like an accordion closing. We say the lower the CER the
more vitality a tree has (within the species)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
8/29/1999
Where: Rhody Trail and Strait Up off of Snow Ball Area or Educational Cabin
Species: Black Cherry [I may have made a mistake. I just took for granite
that the large cherry trees in cook were Black.]
CER MEAN: Black Cherry - 10.54
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
8/29/1999
Where: Rhody Trail and Strait Up off of Snow Ball Area or Educational Cabin
Species: White Pine [I think? The white pine CZ was in the resting state]
CER MEAN: White Pine - 8.68

Off of Rhody Trail (champion tree)
With Dale we checked the vitality (CER) of a champion white pine.
9-17-05
CER was 8.9
Thus establishing that the trees vitality was just a little lower than the
mean.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
8/29/1999
Where: Off of Rhody Trail
Species: Eastern Hemlock
CER MEAN: Eastern Hemlock - 7.66

Off of Rhody Trail (champion tree)
With Dale we checked the vitality (CER) of a champion eastern hemlock.
9-17-05
CER was 6.8
Thus establishing that the trees vitality was substantially higher than the
mean.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
8/29/1999
Where: Rhody Trail and Strait Up off of Snow Ball Area or Educational Cabin
(followed deer to beech with anatomy as in 127 doc)
http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/hardtoget/ntb29/pg_26-50/index.html
Figure 14
Species: American Beech
CER MEAN: American Beech - 10.43
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
I have some figures for White Oak and Red Oak but I lack the 20 needed for a
mean.
Shigometry Readings At Tionesta Scenic Area ANF   John A. Keslick, Jr.
  Jan 17, 2006 09:20 PST 

8/26/1999
Where: From Road to Tornado Swath near and off trail.
Species: Eastern Hemlock
Maturing (200-400 increments est.)
CER MEAN: Eastern Hemlock - 8.07
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
8/26/1999
From Road to Tornado Swath of 1986 near and off trail.
Species: American Beech
Young and Maturing
CER MEAN: American Beech - 7.37
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

John
Re: Shigometry Means At Cook State Park Forest   John A. Keslick, Jr.
  Jan 17, 2006 14:36 PST 

Bob

Good question. I do not have that answer. I think species would be a
factor. E.g., the CER of Tulip Poplar is much lower on average than many
other species. So it's a faster growing tree and I believe it has a wider
Cambium Zone during growing period than others I have tested. I could be
wrong of course. If the meter is a clue than it would be wider during the
resting period as well, just not as wide as during growing period.

John

----------------------------------
John,

   My girth measurements for seevral key trees in MTSF reflect the
expansion/contraction of the cambial zone. Do you have a feel for what
maximums might be expected for a tree that's say 11 feet in
circumference in winter?

Bob
RE: Shigometry Means At Cook State Park Forest   Lee E. Frelich
  Jan 18, 2006 10:20 PST 

Bob:

Longitudinal expansion of 2 or 3% seems common as wood goes from low to
high moisture content, and that is probably larger than expansion and
contraction just from temperature change alone. In winter much of the water
in the wood freezes, which should also cause expansion which would
counteract contraction caused by lower temperatures and dewpoints. I don't
know how all these countervailing trends would affect the overall
height. You need to resolve the issue with an experiment whereby a tree
would be very accurately measured during four different times, summer
drought, summer during a wet period, winter during a drought, and winter
after a wet autumn. Of course you have to eliminate the affect of new new
height growth between these remeasurement periods, so you really have to
measure to some crotch or other landmark high in the crown that would not
be affected by new growth.

Lee
RE: Shigometry Means At Cook State Park Forest   edward coyle
  Jan 18, 2006 11:10 PST 

Bob,

I'm not sure how it relates to living trees, but the lumber from those trees
continues to expand and contract, in whatever is made from it. This
expansion must be accounted for in the making of tables, for example, where
you have several boards glued on edge. A 3/16" or greater width change will
occur in a coffee table between summer and winter, depending on species.
This was not accounted for on 'antique' tables, whose ends were secured with
a breadboard end piece, and they very often have longitudinal cracks where
the force blew the table apart. There is no need to account for longitudinal
expansion. It is either negligible, or does not occur.
By the way, your house, which built of lots of boards on edge, changes
height constantly.

Ed C
Re: Shigometry Means At Cook State Park Forest   John A. Keslick, Jr.
  Jan 18, 2006 16:58 PST 

Bob

The meter is the SHIGOMETER. As far as I know, OSMOSE the telephone pole
people, own the rights. I lost the contact number. I think I paid about
$1,700. You should have an understanding of tree anatomy. Also, there are
wire probes you insert into a small hole you drill. You can record the
changes in wood quality. However, you really need to have an understanding
of Discolored Wood (Color altered wood from a wound or an injury.), Sapwood,
Heartwood , and if the tree is a sapwood tree such as sugar maple or a
heartwood forming tree such as oak. When I was in southern Louisiana I
broke two bits. They cost $100 each. I might go to Ashville NC in the
spring with another tree company and give it another shot. When you are
good with the SHIGOMETER and the wire probe method, you can detect wood that
appears sound to the eye yet is chemically altered. This altered wood is
apparently the first place ants and or termites will go when it is a
product. The meter does not work when it is 40 degrees F or lower or if it
is raining.   Osmose use the meters to detect decay in poles.

As far has the expansion of the wood with respect to the cambium zone (CZ).
This is what I think. When the Cambial Zone begins to grow in the spring,
as the leaves begin to fully form, it expands away from the pith. To the
inside is wood. That does not revert to CZ. So shortly after the CZ
expands, and then to the pith side, cells differentiate and become xylem
cells. The CZ does not produce wood to the inside, it produces xylem.
Later the xylem differentiates and takes on or manufactures lignin. Then it
is correctly called wood. So the CZ does not really shrink, it
differentiates cell structures and appears to shrink, in a sense.   That's
how the cambium zone moves forwards.   Sometimes rib wood from wounds curls
inward and wounds itself.   Than often cracks develop. See Rams Horns.
http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/R/index.html

BTW a real interesting plant is Mountain Laurel. Every time I have taken
the CER of one, the numbers continue to climb. Real strange.