NCJ Number
246201
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 58 Issue: 5 Dated: September 2013 Pages: 1300-1305
Date Published
September 2013
Length
6 pages
Annotation
Establishing correspondence between the upper portion of a white birch sapling, a suspected weapon, and a potential source from a stand of trees was posed to one of us GMC.
Abstract
Establishing correspondence between the upper portion of a white birch sapling, a suspected weapon, and a potential source from a stand of trees was posed to one of us GMC. A bending force shattered the sapling, precluding physical matching. Three white birch saplings were taken from the same stand of trees in a similar manner. Correspondence was achieved by measuring the width of the annual rings along four radii from a disk cut above and below the break. The regression coefficient of the data from the two disks from the same sapling was r2 = 0.95. Regressing the upper disk against the lower disk of two other saplings resulted in r2 values of 0.26 and 0.17, respectively. The various characteristics that are confined to a wood stem as part of its normal process of growth can be used to eliminate candidate saplings and establish correspondence between two pieces of wood. Abstract published by arrangement with Wiley.