Influencia del azulado (mancha azul) en la densidad y estabilidad dimensional de la madera de Pinus sylvestris

pinus sylvestris timber is commercially important, but its value is considerably decreased by the effects of blue stain fungi. seven pine trees from spanish plantations were felled for the study, and 14 discs were sampled from different heights in their stems. when the discs showed partial discolouration due to fungal infection, they were cut to produce small defect-free specimens for determining density and dimensional stability (in volume and in the three main dimensions of wood). the physical properties of fully stained and stain free specimens were compared, in each disc, by one-factor analysis of variance. this method enabled analysis of the specific influence of the blue stain fungi while avoiding other sources of variation: tree factor, height in the stem, ring width, presence of sapwood and cambial age. however, the only significant differences between discoloured and unstained wood were in the density and axial shrinkage, in some discs (the density of the blue-stained wood was 1% higher and the axial shrinkage 13% higher than in the unstained wood).