Water-Uptake Studies of Dry, Mountain Pine Beetle-Infested, Grey-Stage Lodgepole Pine Sapwood Chips
Water-uptake studies of dry, mountain pine beetle-infested, grey-stage lodgepole pine (LPP) sapwood chips showed that it was possible to increase the moisture content of these chips significantly (e.g., from 20.5% to 37.0% for early-grey chips) by soaking the chips for 8 min–10 min at optimal conductivity (~200 μS/cm) and pH (~6.0). The environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM)-energy-dispersive spectroscopy chemical-tracer technique provided qualitative information on water movement within 10 min of water soaking of both the green and the beetle-infested, late-grey LPP blocks. ESEM studies also showed the presence of fissures, fungal hyphae, and incipient decay in the late-grey blocks.