Testing and Assessment of Wood and Wood Products

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Wood Science and Forest Products".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026 | Viewed by 313

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Wood Engineering, Transilvania University of Brasov, 500036 Brasov, Romania
Interests: wood composite materials; wood particles; briquettes and pellets; physics and mechanics of wood; quality of composites
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor Assistant
Faculty of Forestry and Natural Environment, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, P.O. Box 247, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Interests: wood structure and properties; wood anatomy; wood identification; wood quality; wood products

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Wood is a valuable, renewable, and versatile material widely used in construction, furniture, packaging, energy production, and a broad spectrum of wood-based and modified products. Compared with other construction materials, wood offers a significantly lower carbon footprint, requires less energy for processing, and contributes less to environmental pollution while also serving as a renewable energy source. In the context of global sustainability goals, the circular economy, and climate change mitigation, optimizing the use and performance of wood products has become increasingly important.

The sustainable and efficient utilization of wood requires a deeper understanding of its structure and properties, as these determine the performance, durability, and overall service life of wood-based constructions and products. Comprehensive testing and assessment play a central role in this process. These include, but are not limited to, evaluations of mechanical properties, moisture adsorption behavior, durability against biological and fire hazards, and life cycle performance. Advanced and emerging approaches—such as non-destructive testing on standing trees, digital and sensor-based assessment tools, and innovative analytical methods—are becoming essential for improving reliability and enabling better decision-making throughout the value chain.

This Special Issue aims to highlight recent advances in wood testing, evaluation, and performance assessment, with the goal of supporting the development of high-quality, long-lasting, and sustainable wood products. We also welcome contributions addressing outdoor wood testing, surface property characterization, and their implications for wood service life, as these topics are of high scientific and industrial relevance.

We invite original research articles, reviews, case studies, and technical notes that contribute to the understanding and advancement of testing methods and performance evaluations of wood and wood products. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Mechanical, physical, and chemical characterization of wood and wood products;
  • Durability and service-life assessment, including biological and fire resistance;
  • Surface properties, coatings, and factors influencing long-term performance;
  • Non-destructive evaluation and testing technologies;
  • Digital tools, sensor systems, and advanced analytical methods;
  • Testing of innovative or modified wood-based materials;
  • Life cycle assessment, circularity, and sustainability-related evaluations.

For detailed submission guidelines, please refer to the Forests Instructions for Authors: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/forests/instructions.

Prof. Dr. Aurel Lunguleasa
Guest Editor

Dr. Marina Chavenetidou
Guest Editor Assistant

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Forests is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • woody products
  • wood evaluation
  • testing
  • wood structure
  • wood properties
  • wood life cycle assessment
  • sustainability
  • composites, briquettes, and pellets

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

23 pages, 3646 KB  
Article
Effects of PDADMAC Solution Pretreatment on Beech Wood—Waterborne Coating Interaction
by Tanja Palija, Daniela Djikanović, Milica Rančić, Marko Petrič and Matjaž Pavlič
Forests 2026, 17(1), 148; https://doi.org/10.3390/f17010148 - 22 Jan 2026
Viewed by 182
Abstract
This study builds on previous research into the surface modification of beech wood with polyethyleneimine (PEI) prior to finishing it with a waterborne coating. Poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDADMAC) is introduced as an alternative cationic polyelectrolyte for the pretreatment of beech wood surfaces. Wood samples [...] Read more.
This study builds on previous research into the surface modification of beech wood with polyethyleneimine (PEI) prior to finishing it with a waterborne coating. Poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDADMAC) is introduced as an alternative cationic polyelectrolyte for the pretreatment of beech wood surfaces. Wood samples were treated with aqueous 1% PDADMAC solutions of low (LMW—8000 g mol−1) and high (HMW—100,000–200,000 g mol−1) molecular weights, with or without NaCl addition. The effects of the treatments on wood surface chemistry, wettability, surface energy, water absorption, coating penetration, coating adhesion strength, and surface roughness of coated wood were analysed using FTIR, fluorescence microscopy, SEM/EDS, and standardised tests commonly used in wood surface finishing. The results showed that polyelectrolyte pretreatment modified the surface properties of wood, reducing water absorption and surface roughness without significantly affecting coating adhesion strength. PDADMAC formed a more uniform surface layer of wood with limited coating penetration, and NaCl addition improved wood surface smoothness (reducing surface roughness parameters of coated wood by 23%–29%, in samples treated with PDADMAC LMW with 0.01 M NaCl). These findings confirm that cationic polyelectrolyte pretreatment enhances the compatibility and performance of waterborne coatings, offering an environmentally friendly approach to improving wood–waterborne coating interactions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Testing and Assessment of Wood and Wood Products)
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