Seasonal cambial activity of spruce (picea abies karst.) with indented rings in the Paneveggio Forest (Trento, Italy)

Wood with indented rings has long been of interest because it was believed to have special acoustic characteristics and was preferred by the most famous lute and violin makers of the past. In recent years its biological, technical and physical features have become the subject of research. The indentations, which are anatomical anomalies, can be explained by abnormal cambial growth but it is still unclear why and how they are produced. The pinning technique has been used to study the duration and intensity of wood formation of spruce with indented rings grown in the Paneveggio Forest, Italy. The present work describes and discusses the kinetics of cambial activity of trees examined in 2002. Comparison of normal wood and indented xylem showed very similar cambial activity dynamics, characterized by contemporaneous onset and cessation, and by similar trends. Growth rate and final width were the same in each part of the ring. The main differences were not in the timing of xylogenetic processes, but in the morphology of the new cells formed.