Relation between xylem and phloem increment in Silver fir (Abies alba Mill.)

Pri 10 zdravih jelkah (Abies alba) smo raziskali anatomsko zgradbo floemskih branik (FB) glede na njihovo širino, razmerje med številom slojev celic v FB in v ksilemskih branikah (KB) iste sezone, razlike v številu slojev celic v FBin KB po obodu posameznega drevesa ter zvezo med širino FB in KB, nastalih vistem letu, ter širino dormantne kambijeve cone (KC). Intaktne vzorce tkiv zaraziskave smo vzeli iz živih dreves v letih 2001 in 2002 ter pripravili preparate prečnih prerezov za svetlobno mikroskopijo. Ugotovili smo zvezo med širino in anatomsko zgradbo FB. Pri ožjih FB je prevladoval rani floem, pri širših pa kasni. Pri širših FB se je v kasnem floemu lahko pojavil dodatni pasaksialnega parenhima. KB so bile 2- do 21-krat širše od FB. Širina KB je poobodu posameznega drevesa bolj variirala kot širina FB. Širina dormantne KC je bila v pozitivni zvezi s širino FB in KB.In 10 silver firs (Abies alba), the following was investigated: anatomical structure of phloem growth rings (FB) in relation to their width, ratio between number of cell-layers in FB and in xylem growth rings (KB), variation in number of cell layers in FB and KB around the stem circumference, relation between widths of FB and KB formed in the same year, and the width of dormant cambial zone (KC). Samples of intact tissues were taken from living trees in 2001 and 2002, and permanent cross-sections for light microscopy prepared. We observed the relationship between width and anatomical structure of the FB. Narrower FB contained more early phloem, whereas wider FB contained more late phloem cells. Wider FB sometimes contained an additional band of axial parenchyma. The KB were 2 to 21 times wider than the FB. The widths of KB varied around the stem circumference more than the widths of FB. The widths ofdormant KC were positively correlated to the widths of FB and KB

Wood identification using non-destructive confocal laser scanning microscopy

Exact wood identification is usually based on observation of wood features under the microscope. For this, we have to take a sample of the wood from the object and cut thin slides, possibly of all three anatomical sections. Such destructive sampling is often not possible on valuable historical objects, and therefore there is a need for non-destructive approaches. The objective of the study is to present the potential of Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy (CLSM) using an Olympus LEXT OLS5000 for the identification of wood. We present work on an example of a gothic sculpture, “St. George Defeating the Dragon”. Conventional sampling and microscopical wood identification showed that St. George is made of Norway spruce (Picea abies), and the dragon of poplar (Populus sp.) or willow (Salix sp.). We present crucial features needed for the identification of these species and the limitations with identification if the samples are too small. Finally, we demonstrate the possibility of wood identification of the abovementioned species using CLSM on wood samples without special preparation of the surfaces. CLSM enabled us to observe all the features needed for wood identification

Wood formation in beech from two sites at different altitudes

Predstavljamo časovno dinamiko kambijeve aktivnosti in nastanka lesa pri bukvi (Fagus sylvatica L.) z rastišča Panška reka (400 m n.m.v.) in Menina planina (1200 m n.m.v.) v letu 2008. Raziskave smo opravili na tkivih lesa, kambija in skorje, odvzetih iz odraslih dreves s pomočjo metode mikro vzorčenja v tedenskih intervalih med vegetacijsko dobo. Delitve v kambiju so se na Panški reki začele prej (med 14. aprilom in 12. majem) in zaključile kasneje (med 30. junijem in 25. avgustom) kot na Menini planini (začetek med 16. in 23. majem ter zaključek med 30. junijem in 25. julijem). Najintenzivnejše celične delitve smo na obeh rastiščih zabeležili nekaj dni pred poletnim solsticijem. Na Panški reki je nastajanje lesa trajalo od 11 do 19 tednov, srednja širina branike pa je bila približno 3 mm. Na Menini planini je nastajanje lesa trajalo 6 do 7 tednov, srednja širina branike pa je bila približno 1 mm. Na Panški reki so bili tedenski prirastki lesa v povprečju skoraj trikrat večji kot na Menini planini, večja je bila tudi variabilnost med drevesi. To so potrdile tudi dendrokronološke raziskave. Primerjave lokalnih kronologij širin branik nakazujejo, da na Panški reki poletne visoke temperature in poletna suša negativno vplivajo na širine branik, na Menini planini pa vladajo visokogorske razmere, kjer imajo višje poletne temperature pozitiven vpliv na rast.We present the dynamics of cambial activity and wood formation in beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) from two sites Panška reka (400 m a.s.l.) and Menina planina (1200 m a.s.l.) in 2008. Research was conducted on the tissues of wood, cambium and bark taken from adult trees using the micro-coring technique. The cores were taken at weekly intervals during the vegetation period. Cambial divisions began at Panška reka earlier (between 14 April and 12 May) and finished later (between 30 June and 25 August) than at Menina planina (onset between 16 and 23 May, end between 30 June and 25 July). The highest cell production was recorded at both sites few days before the summer solstice. At Panška reka, the formation of tree-ring lasted 11 to 19 weeks and the mean tree-ring width was about 3 mm. At Menina planina the production of wood lasted 6 to 7 weeks, and the mean tree-ring width was 1 mm. Greater variability among trees at Panška reka was also confirmed with dendrochronological investigations. Comparisons of local tree-ring chronologies indicated that summer drought and high summer temperatures negatively affected variation of tree-ring widths at Panška reka. The situation at Menina planina corresponded to high mountain conditions where higher summer temperatures positively affect the growth

Wood identification in objects of Bambuti people from the Congo in the collection of the Slovene ethnographic museum

The African collection of the Slovene Ethnographic Museum (SEM) in Ljubljana, Slovenia, holds objects of everyday life from the Bambuti people from the Ituri forest, in the northeastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The items were collected by the anthropologist Paul Joachim Schebesta, possibly during his expeditions around 1930. The objects containing wood were selected for wood identification by using microscopic wood identification, with the help of the InsideWood database and reference samples from the xylarium of the Royal Museum for Central Africa in Tervuren, Belgium. The investigated musical instrument, a wooden zither, was made of wood of Musanga cecropioides, the handle of the shield of Alstonia sp., the dagger and sheath of Autranella congolensis or another high density species of Sapotaceae, and the crossbow of Nauclea diderichii (bow) and Xylopia sp. (stock). Wood identification helped us to gain additional information on the origin, knowledge of wood, and time of the collection of objects in the Congo

Number of cells in xylem, phloem and dormant cambium in Silver fir (Abies alba), in trees of different vitality

We investigated the anatomical structure of phloem and xylem growth rings as well as the dormant cambium in relation to vitality in 81 adult silver fir trees (Abies alba Mill.). Specifically, we investigated the number of cells produced in the current phloem growth ring (PR), xylem growth ring (XR) and their ratio, the number of cells in the dormant cambium (CC), and the structure of the PR, which included characterisation of the early phloem (EP), the late phloem (LP), and the presence, absence, and continuity of tangential bands of axial parenchyma (AP). EP was relatively stable with respect to number and types of cells as PR width changed, but LP was quite variable. The CC of more vital trees produced more xylem than phloem cells. The ratio of XR to PR number decreased with decreasing vitality of trees and in the most severely affected trees (4% of the study group), more cells were formed in the PR than in the XR. The number of cells in phloem, xylem and dormant cambium is positively correlated. The use of width and structure of phloem and the ratios between PR, XR and CC can provide information on tree conditions and, consequently, can be a useful tool for forest management

The relation between xylem and phloem increment in silver firs (Abies alba Mill.) of different vitality

Pri 10 navidezno zdravih navadnih jelkah (Abies alba Mill.) z Ravnika smo proučevali anatomsko zgradbo floemskih branik v odvisnosti od njihove širine. Ugotavljali smo razmerje med floemskim in ksilemskim prirastkom in razlike v številu celic v radialnih nizih floemskih in ksilemskih branik po obodu posameznega drevesa. Raziskovali smo zvezo med širino floemske in ksilemske branike, nastale v istem letu ter številom celic v dormantni kambijevi coni. Vzorce tkiv smo odvzeli iz živih dreves z metodo vzorčenja intaktnih tkiv. Trajne anatomske preparate prečnih prerezov smo obarvali z barvilom safranin in astra modro ter jih preiskali pod svetlobnim mikroskopom. Rezultati kažejo, da je bila pri navadni jelki anatomska zgradba floemske branike odvisna od njene širine. Floemske branike so vsebovale 5 do 11 slojev celic. (sl.c.). Največkrat so bile sestavljene iz 3 oz. 4 sl.c ranega floema. Bolj ali manj sklenjen tangencialni pas aksialnega parenhima je ločil rani floem od kasnega. Ta je bil najpogosteje sestavljen iz 1 do 3 sl.c. Pri širokih floemskih branikah (8,9 ali 11 sl.c.) se je v kasnem floemu priložnostno pojavil še drugi, nesklenjen pas aksialnega parenhima. Pri ozkih floemskih branikah (5 do 6 sl.c.) je prevladoval rani floem, pri širših (11 sl.c.) pa kasni. Delitve kambijevih celic so bile na ksilemsko stran intenzivnejše, saj so bile ksilemske branikw od 2 do 21 krat širše kot floemske. Ksilemske branike so bile široke od 8 do 177 sl.c. Razlike v številu celic v različnih radialnih nizih po obodu drevesa znotraj iste branike so znašale na ksilemski strani do 103, na floemski pa do 4 sl.c. Dormantna kambijeva cona je vsebovala od 5 do 11 sl.c. Kadar je bila kambijeva cona ozka (5 ali 6 sl.c.), sta bili tudi ksilemska in floemska branika ozkikadar pa je bila široka (9, 10 ali 11 sl.c.). sta bili široki tudi pripadajoči braniki,The structue of phloem growth rings was studied in relation to their width in 10 apparently healthy European silver firs (Abies alba Mill.) from Ravnik, Slovenia. The relation between phloem and xylem increment and variation in number of phloem and xylem cells within different radial rows of the same ring were researched. Further, the relation between the phloem and xylem growth rings formed in the same year, and the corresponding number of cells in dormant cambium zone were investigated. The tissues were taken from living trees using the method of intact tissue sampling. The investigations were done with a light microscope on permanently imbedded cross-sections, stained with safranin and astra blue. The results show that the structure of the phloem growth ring depends on its width. The phloem increment comprised 5 to 11 sieveve cells, mostly with 3 to 4 layers wide early phloem. More or less continous tangential band of axial parenchyma usually separated the early and the late phloem. The late phloem was generally 1 to 3 cells wide. Wider phloem rings (8,9 and 11 cell layers) some times contained an additional discontinuous tangential band of axial parenchyma. Narrow phloem rings (5 to 6 cell layers wide) contained more early than late phloem, whereas wider rings (11 cell layers) contained more late phloem. The cambium produced more xyxlem than phloem cells. The xylem rings were 2 to 21 times wider than the corresponding phloem ones. The xylem rings were 8 to 177 cells wide. The differences in the number of cells within different radial rows of the same rings comprised up to 103 cells in xylem rings, and up to 4 cells in phloem rings. The dormant cambium zone contained 5 to 11 cell layers. When the cambium zone was narrow (5 to 6 cell layers wide) the xylem and phloem rings were narrow as well. When the cambium zone was wide (9, 10 or 11 cell layers) the xylem and phloem rings were also wide

Dendrochronological dating of rural buildings in Sevno, Slovenija

The owners of the Matičkova farm (Sevno, Slovenia) intended to reconstruct the house and the pigsty in agreement with their original appearance. Knowledge on the age and history of the buildings and the timber used for constructions would help to do this. For this purpose 62 samples of wood were taken from the constructions and wood identification and dendrochronological dating were done in accordance with standard methods. The structures have been made of oak (Quercus spp.), sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa), beech (Fagus sylvatica), alder (Alnus glutinosa), birch (Betula pendula), willow (Salix spp.), and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris). 18 samples of oak, one sample of chestnut and one sample of beech have been dendrochronologically dated. Based on the end dates of different timber elements we assumed that the house was most likely built at the end of 1877 or soon after that. The pigsty was built after 1927. In both objects we could determine when the repairs or reconstructions of the structures took place. In the project was involved a group of students of the Department of Wood Science and Technology

Relation between xylem and phloem increment in Silver fir (Abies alba Mill.)

In 10 silver firs (Abies alba), the following was investigated: anatomical structure of phloem growth rings (FB) in relation to their width, ratio between number of cell-layers in FB and in xylem growth rings (KB), variation in number of cell layers in FB and KB around the stem circumference, relation between widths of FB and KB formed in the same year, and the width of dormant cambial zone (KC). Samples of intact tissues were taken from living trees in 2001 and 2002, and permanent cross-sections for light microscopy prepared. We observed the relationship between width and anatomical structure of the FB. Narrower FB contained more early phloem, whereas wider FB contained more late phloem cells. Wider FB sometimes contained an additional band of axial parenchyma. The KB were 2 to 21 times wider than the FB. The widths of KB varied around the stem circumference more than the widths of FB. The widths ofdormant KC were positively correlated to the widths of FB and KB

Identifikacija lesa s pomočjo nedestruktivne konfokalne laserske mikroskopije

Exact wood identification is usually based on observation of wood features under the microscope. For this, we have to take a sample of the wood from the object and cut thin slides, possibly of all three anatomical sections. Such destructive sampling is often not possible on valuable historical objects, and therefore there is a need for non-destructive approaches. The objective of the study is to present the potential of Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy (CLSM) using an Olympus LEXT OLS5000 for the identification of wood. We present work on an example of a gothic sculpture, “St. George Defeating the Dragon”. Conventional sampling and microscopical wood identification showed that St. George is made of Norway spruce (Picea abies), and the dragon of poplar (Populus sp.) or willow (Salix sp.). We present crucial features needed for the identification of these species and the limitations with identification if the samples are too small. Finally, we demonstrate the possibility of wood identification of the abovementioned species using CLSM on wood samples without special preparation of the surfaces. CLSM enabled us to observe all the features needed for wood identification.Natančna identifikacija lesa običajno temelji na opazovanju anatomskih znakov pod mikroskopom. Za to moramo odvzeti vzorec lesa in narezati tanke preparate, po možnosti vseh treh anatomskih prerezov. Takšno destruktivno vzorčenje na dragocenih zgodovinskih predmetih pogosto ni sprejemljivo, zato iščemo nedestruktivne pristope. Cilj te študije je predstaviti možnosti identifikacije lesa s pomočjo konfokalnega laserskega mikroskopa (CLSM) Olympus LEXT OLS5000. Identifikacijo predstavljamo na primeru gotskega kipa svetega Jurija z zmajem. Konvencionalno vzorčenje in mikroskopska identifikacija lesa sta pokazala, da je sveti Jurij narejen iz lesa navadne smreke (Piceaabies), zmaj pa iz lesa topola (Populussp.) ali vrbe (Salixsp.). Predstavljamo ključne značilnosti, potrebne za identifikacijo naštetih vrst, in omejitve identifikacije, če so vzorci premajhni. Na koncu pokažemo možnost identifikacije lesa zgoraj omenjenih vrst s CLSM na vzorcih lesa brez posebne priprave površine. CLSM nam je omogočil opazovanje vseh anatomskih znakov, potrebnih za identifikacijo lesa