Method for predicting dry mechanical properties from wet wood and standing trees

An apparatus for determining the dry mechanical strength of green wood comprising:

• (a) source means for irradiating a green wood sample with incident radiation containing a spectral region of energy in a range of from about 350 nm to about 2,500 nm in the near-infrared spectrum;
• (b) means for transferring said incident radiation from said source means to a green wood sample;
• (c) return means for carrying reflected radiation from said sample to collecting reflected radiation means;
• (d) photodetector means sensitive to collected reflected radiation in said range of said spectral region of energy;
• (e) computer means to collect intensities and wavelengths of the reflected radiation at said photodetector means to generate a first spectral data;
• and
• (f) multivariate analysis means to predict the mechanical strength of green wood when dry by comparing said first spectral data with a calibration model, said calibration model comprising a second spectrometric method of spectral data obtained from a reference wood having a green moisture content, the second spectral data being correlated with a known mechanical strength analytical result obtained from said reference wood when dried and having a dry moisture content.