Analysis of wave velocity patterns in black cherry trees and its effect on internal decay detection

•We developed an analytical model of stress wave propagation velocity in sound healthy trees.•The presented stress wave velocity model was verified in the cross sections of black cherry trees.•The stress wave velocities show different characters in black cherry trees with decay.•The stress wave velocity model can be used to detect the internal conditions of standing trees.

In this study, we examined stress wave velocity patterns in the cross sections of black cherry trees, developed analytical models of stress wave velocity in sound healthy trees, and then tested the effectiveness of the models as a tool for tree decay diagnosis. Acoustic tomography data of the tree cross sections were collected from 12 black cherry trees at a production forest. Trees were subsequently cut, and the disk at each test location was obtained to assess the true physical condition. Stress wave velocity data of different paths across grain, from radial to tangential, were extracted from the acoustic tomography data sets. Our analysis indicated that the ratio of tangential velocity to radial velocity in sound healthy trees approximated a second-order parabolic curve with respect to the symmetric axis θ = 0 (θ is the angle between wave propagation path and radial direction). The analytical model was found in excellent agreement with the real data from healthy trees. Further examination indicated that the analytical model can be used to diagnose internal conditions of trees when a stress wave testing method is used in tree inspection.