Study on Drying Characteristics of Juvenile Wood of Dalbergia odorifera T.C.Chen

Dalbergia odorifera is an economically valuable timber species. While its plantation-grown stock displays unique juvenile wood characteristics, current drying research is insufficient and lacks direct applicability to the heartwood. This study investigated the drying characteristics of a 17-year-old plantation-grown Dalbergia odorifera from Hainan using the 100 °C drying test method. Conventional drying technology was optimized by adjusting key parameters, including drying rate, moisture content variation, residual stress, and drying defects. The results showed that the overall drying defect grade of 25 mm-thick Dalbergia odorifera specimens were Grade 3, and the superior drying quality was achieved under relatively low-temperature and high-humidity conditions. The optimal drying schedule was comprehensively determined as follows: an initial temperature of 48 °C with a wet-bulb depression of 3 °C, a final temperature of 68 °C with a wet-bulb depression of 12 °C, and a drying duration of approximately 12 days to reduce the moisture content (MC) from 50% to 10%. Under this schedule, all drying quality indicators of the sawn timber met Grade 2 standards, and the color of wood has been well preserved. These results provided a theoretical and technical reference for improving the utilization efficiency of wood and the industrial drying of plantation-grown Dalbergia odorifera.