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The aim of this work was to determine the patterns of axial and radial variation of the density and cellular morphometry of american willow wood, for determining the age of transition from juvenile to mature wood. The study was conducted on five trees of a 45-years-old plantation of a clone of Salix babylonica, from Entre Rios, Argentina. Samples were taken at three heights and at 9 radial positions of the stem for the determination of basic density and morphometry of fibers and vessels. The radial variation patterns showed a slight increase in magnitude with age, whereas the axial variation showed up between the base and a height of 1.3 m in the stem, presenting different tendencies according to the variable. Depending on the analyzed variable, the age of transition between juvenile and mature wood was 5 to 10 years, or 10 to 15 years. Fiber length and width and vessel diameter were the first characters to mature. The average values of the properties of juvenile and mature wood showed no substantial differences between logs, therefore they could be considered as anatomically and density homogeneous. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this work was to determine the age at which the transition of the juvenile wood to the mature wood takes place, by means of the parameters: density, morphometry of fibers, and vessels in one poplar clone. Five 17-year-old Populus deltoides "Australia 129-60" trees were sampled from a commercial plantation in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Samples were taken at 5 heights from the trunk: 0.3 m, 1.3 m, 4.2 m, 8.1 m and 15.9 m and the annual radial growth, wood density, morphometry of fibers and vessels, and cell wall area were measured. Segmented regression analyses were used to determine the age of transition from juvenile to mature wood. The radial variation of different anatomical properties increased with age. The estimated age of transition from juvenile wood and mature wood was not identical for all properties. The transition ages were 4, 5, 7 and 9 years depending on the variable. The sequence of maturation was: cell wall area, vessel diameter and frequency, fiber width and length, density and wall thickness. Juvenile wood properties were significantly lower with respect to the mature wood. The volume of the juvenile wood was 52%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]