Method of selecting and/or processing wood according to fibre characteristics

Apparatus for predictively assessing a measure of average fibre length of wood fibre or wood pulp to be produced from a solid wood member, comprising:

• a sensor capable of detecting both an original and a reflected sound wave in a solid wood member along the length thereof;
• and
• a computer comprising stored information on fibre length of produced wood fibre or wood pulp versus sound velocity through wood and arranged to determine a measure of average fibre length for the wood fibre or wood pulp to be produced by reference to said stored information on fibre length versus detected velocity through the solid wood member.

Apparatus for predictively assessing at least one characteristic of wood fibre or wood pulp to be produced from a solid wood member, wherein the characteristic is average fibre length, comprising:

• a sensor capable of detecting both an original and a reflected sound wave in a solid wood member along the length thereof;
• and
• a computer comprising stored information on fibre characteristics versus sound velocity through wood and arranged to determine a measure of the average fibre length of wood fibre to be produced from the solid wood member by reference to said stored information on the average fibre length versus detected sound velocity through the solid wood member.