Transpirational Drying of Red Oaks, Sweetgum, and Yellow-Poplar in the Upper Piedmont of Georgia

Red oaks (Quercus spp.), sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua L.), and yellow-poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera L.) were felled in late July and allowed to lie at the stump for up to 8 weeks with the entire bole and crown intact. A subset of trees was destructively sampled at weekly intervals to estimate moisture loss. Weighted mean moisture content for whole-stem wood and bark was reduced from 74 to 60 percent in red oaks, 109 to 67 percent in sweetgum, and 104 to 64 percent in yellow-poplar. Most of the drying was achieved within 1 week of felling. Results suggest that transpirational drying could be of substantial value when utilizing wood for energy.

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