Anatomical Characteristics and Natural Durability of Three Korean Diffuse-porous Hardwood Species

Abstract

Natural durability is an important wood property that influences utilization potential. This study investigated the anatomical characteristics and natural durability of three Korean diffuse-porous hardwood species, namely Betula platyphylla, Liriodendron tulipifera, and Quercus salicina, to assess whether measurable anatomical traits could serve as indicators of durability. Traits were measured using microscopic image analysis, and natural durability was evaluated using fungal decay and termite resistance tests. Associations between anatomical traits and durability were explored using multiple factor analysis (MFA). Among the species examined, L. tulipifera exhibited the lowest fungal weight loss and highest termite resistance, whereas B. platyphylla showed the greatest susceptibility to fungal decay and termite attack. The MFA suggested exploratory associations, based on species-level data from three species, between fungal decay resistance and vessel-related anatomical traits, whereas termite resistance showed limited correspondence with the anatomical variables examined. These results suggest an exploratory relationship between vessel dimensions and variation in fungal decay susceptibility among the three species; anatomical traits corresponded only weakly with overall natural durability. The findings may support future wood informatics research and facilitate the development of data-driven models that integrate anatomical, physical, and chemical datasets to predict wood properties.