Seasonal variation of southern pine terpenes

Monoterpene and volatile organic compound (VOC) concentrations measured at some mills have large swings of a seemingly seasonal nature and a great amount of variability is evident. The question to be resolved is whether these differences are attributable to wood handling and mill operations or to biological factors associated with tree growth. A paper describes the results of a study comparing the amounts of VOCs released from drying southern pine wood to the amount of monoterpene collected from loblolly pine increment cores. Handling and storage have been shown to potentially affect quantitative results, but it appears that more monoterpenes are produced in trees in response to higher temperatures and increased precipitation.