Abstract

Accurate pith estimation is crucial for maintaining the quality of wood products. This study delves into deep learning techniques for precise Parawood pith estimation, employing popular convolutional neural networks (ResNet50, MobileNet, and Xception) with adapted regression heads. Through variations in regression functions, optimizers, and training epochs, the most effective models were pinpointed. Xception, coupled with Huber Loss regression, Nadam optimizer, and 200 epochs, showcased superior performance, achieving a 4.48 mm mean error (with a standard deviation of 3.69 mm) in Parawood. Notably, benchmarking on the Douglas Fir dataset yielded similar results (2.81 mm mean error, standard deviation: 1.57 mm). These findings underscore deep learning's potential for Parawood and Douglas Fir pith estimation, offering substantial benefits to wood industry quality control and production efficiency. By harnessing advanced machine learning techniques, this study advances wood industry processes, promoting the adoption of state-of-the-art technology in forestry and wood science.