Author Description

Lumber yields from a sawmill recovery study were used to quantify variation in tree values associated with growth distortion, prevalent in two stands of late immature Douglas-fir located in the Wetter Maritime CWH biogeoclimatic subzone on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Following preliminary sampling of 200 potential study trees, 42 were selected according to size, branching, and sinuosity. These trees were felled, transported to a sawmill, and converted to lumber. Lumber grade and volume yields were recorded and used to calculate values for each study tree. Analysis of variance was used to test preliminary branching and sinuosity indices for their effect on tree value. To investigate the possibility that growth distortion could result in an increase in drying defects, lumber obtained from the distorted trees was kiln dried.