Earlywood

What Does Earlywood Mean?

The earlywood is the part of the annual ring that is established in the early part of the growing season. Although this part tends to grow in the spring or early summer, it can also grow at any other time of the year.

This is also know as spring wood or lightwood. Earlywood is characterized by cells that are thinner and larger than the cells that form later in the year. Most of the cells of the earlywood fibers are more porous than the latewood cells.

Maximum Yield Explains Earlywood

Earlywood is light and fast growing. It is less resilient than latewood and more prone to weathering. It is low density compared to latewood and has a greenish color that eventually changes to brown as the plant matures. Chemically, the genetic expression of the plants change as they mature. When they enter the latewood phase, there is a preference for genes that express lignin (tough fiber) production.