Dendrometers challenge the 'moon wood concept' by elucidating the absence of lunar cycles in tree stem radius oscillation.

ABSTRACT: Wood is a sustainable natural resource and an important global commodity. According to the 'moon wood theory', the properties of wood, including its growth and water content, are believed to oscillate with the lunar cycle. Despite contradicting our current understanding of plant functioning, this theory is commonly exploited for marketing wooden products. To examine the moon wood theory, we applied a wavelet power transformation to series of 2,000,000 hourly stem radius records from dendrometers. We separated the influence of 74 consecutive lunar cycles and meteorological conditions on the stem variation of 62 trees and six species. We show that the dynamics of stem radius consist of overlapping oscillations with periods of 1 day, 6 months, and 1 year. These oscillations in stem dimensions

SUBMITTER: Tumajer J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10645754 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature