Lunar phases and wood properties. A field experiment on the effect of the tree felling date

In questo contributo sono presentati i principali risultati di un ampio studio volto a verificare il fondamento scientifico delle tradizioni popolari che postulano l’esistenza di una correlazione tra le proprietà del legno e la fase lunare al momento dell’abbattimento dell’albero.

We analysed the drying behavior for sapwood and heartwood of Norway Spruce (Picea abies Karst.) and for heartwood of Sweet Chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.), in relation to the felling date, within a field experiment conducted for 24 weeks. We linked the water loss from fresh to dry state, the shrinkage and the relative density to lunar rhythms (synodic, sidereal, and tropic). In addition to seasonal trends, slight but significant variations with lunar periodicities characterize the three investigated criteria.