Comparison of morphological and chemical properties between juvenile wood and compression wood of loblolly pine

In conifers, juvenile wood (JW) is always associated with compression wood (CW). Due to their similar properties, there is a common belief that JW is the same as CW. To resolve whether JW is identical to CW, 24 rooted cuttings of one loblolly pine clone were planted in growth chambers under normal, artificial bending, and windy environments. The results show that the morphology of JW is significantly different from CW. Furthermore, chemical analyses revealed that JW and CW are significantly different in chemical composition. Our results indicate that JW is different from CW, and the wood formed under a controlled windy environment is a mild type of compression wood.