Director ST300 A twin probe tool to assess
wood quality in standing trees

The Director ST300 measures acoustic speed to determine standing tree quality and enable stumpage valuation.

Now stiffness and other wood properties can be assessed in standing trees to support valuation, stumpage purchase and enhance tree breeding programs.

Wood based product properties are dependent upon the quality of the log raw material and the method of processing, whether for solid wood or pulp and paper products. Yet natural variation in wood properties resulting from species, site, silviculture, and genetics have proved very difficult to assess in standing trees. Huge values are at stake when decisions are made to buy or sell stumpage or plan harvest, resulting in a long-recognized need for a quick and effective method of assessing standing trees. Similar high values are involved in advanced tree breeding programs.

Now, using Director ST300 on standing trees, these decisions can be made with far greater confidence defining stiffness and wood properties for effective valuation and decision making. Using the proven approach of acoustic velocity, pioneered in the popular Director HM200 on logs, with further advanced technologies the ST300 offers direct assessment of stiffness on standing trees. The battery powered Director ST300 is an efficient hand held tool designed for use in the forest. It has an ergonomic rugged waterproof design and is easily used by a single operator.

The ST300 delivers these benefits to forestry, solid wood, veneer, and pulp and paper operations:
• Enables objective evaluation of stiffness and other wood properties in standing trees.
• Optimal value decisions can be made before committing to stumpage purchase or harvest planning.
• Stands of trees can be allocated to those customers whose needs best suit the wood quality.
• Simple stand assessment can deliver tens of thousands of dollars of value.  

Features include:
• Wireless operation means no cables to tangle in the forest.  Simple twin-probe tool hit in with hammer.
• Automatic distance measurement between probes.
• Enhanced elapsed time measurement for increased accuracy.
• Output of acoustic velocity derived from distance and time.
• Audible feedback to operator.
• Quick and simple removal of probes.
• PDA data storage for thousands of measurements, plus interface with PC.
• Standard battery powered.
• Ergonomic rugged waterproof design. 

For any enquires or further information contact:
info@fibre-gen.com

Director ST300 Brochure

Director ST300 - how it works

HITMAN Sonic Technology for Improved Profitability North America, June 2007. The Hitman System Explained. Fibre-gen and sonic technology • Values and contribution to profit • The value chain – integrating the technology • Results and value models • Opportunity analysis and implementation • The tools and how they work More

Acoustic Assessment of Wood Quality of RAW FOREST MATERIALS– A Path to Increased Profitability, US Journal of Forestry Article, 20 May 2007. An Assessment of the quality of raw wood materials has become a crucial issue in the operational value chain as forestry and the wood processing industry are increasingly under economic pressure to maximize extracted value. A significant effort has been devoted toward developing robust nondestructive evaluation (NDE) technologies capable of predicting the intrinsic wood properties of individual trees, stems, and logs, and assessing the value of stands and forests. Such technologies can help foresters make wise management decisions, grow higher quality wood, and lead to greater profitability for the forest industry. More

Breeding for Wood Quality; Acoustic Tools and Technology 2007 AFG & IUFRO SPWG Joint Conference Hobart, Tasmania, April 2007 Why? Global developments • Resource wood quality is changing, target of value improvement – Global emphasis on structural and appearance qualities – Age of clearfall declining, log quality more variable – Tree breeding has improved volume more than quality • Increased attention to quality standards eg NZ Standard 3622 – Development of ‘verified visual’ grading (sample proof tested) – Price differential in lumber and engineered wood markets – Mills sensitive to stiffness of smaller diameter young wood • New tools – Structural and LVL mills can now measure stiffness Breeding for stiffness will enhance business returns More

PDF Downloads:

• A Review of the Use of Acoustic Speed to Assess Standing Timber Quality
• NDE Hanover paper
• Washington Publication

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