Analysing the Sound Speed through the Wood of Horse Chestnut Trees (Aesculus hippocastanum Lin.)

Abstract

The aim of this study was to analyze the way in which the sound propagates through the horse chestnut wood of standing trees. In this regard, 15 trees of horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum Lin.) were chosen from a park in Brasov, Romania. Sensors of an acoustic scanner were placed on the trunk of trees, at levels of 50, 100, and 150 cm above the ground to see the differences in terms of sound speed within healthy trees and trees showing obvious defects. It was found that the minimum values of sound speed were between 147-893 m/s while the maximum ones ranged between 1275-2550 m/s. However, it was typical for the speeds to range between 1001-1500 m/s, showing a potential good health state and stability of the trees. Nevertheless, it is very important that, in the assessment of the wood quality of standing trees and when assessing their stability, to take into account not only the analyses undertaken by acoustic scanners, which offer clues only on the quality of wood at the analyzed level, but also other tests, including the visual inspection.