Eleven months ago I girdled 17 trees and measured the moisture content, at the place where they had been girdled, with a wood moisture meter. Typically, the moisture meter showed a reading of about 30%. Now recently I have cut down the trees and cut them into pieces, and I have measured the moisture content at the same place as before, as well as at 5, 10, and 15 meters height, both externally (cutting of the bark with a machete) as well as internally (at the place where I have cut the trees in to short pieces with a chainsaw). The weird thing is that, in spite of that the trees now are dead and very light, the readings on the moisture meter indicate the opposite, they typically are around 40%, as if the moisture content would have _increased_, something which obviously is not the case.
All this happened in western Amazonia (Ecuador) where the climate is very humid, such that I think it sounds quite normal that wood has a moisture content of 40% even in trees that have been girdled 11 months ago. But what I do not understand is why the moisture meter showed just 30% when the trees were alive and the cells must have been basically full of water.
Wood moisture content measurement methods use different physical principles that covers usually localized wood volume. On the other hand moisture distribution in the wood sample depends on moisture diffusion through wood. There is water contained in the cells but also water contained in between of wood fibers. For the beginning of study and understanding I can to recommend article attached.
Good luck
Branko
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/274251633_Changes_of_Equilibrium_Moisture_during_the_Natyral_Drying_of_Wood_in_the_Territory_of_Kosova_for_years_1960-2008
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