Heat treatment is the oldest, simplest and cheapest method for reducing hygroscopicity of wood. The heat treatment protects wood against to biological organisms as well as giving wood dimensional stabilization without damaging environment. The effects of heat treatment on modulus of elasticity (MOE) of beech wood (Fagus orientalis Lipsky) naturally grown and intensively used in forest products industry in Turkey were determined. The wood samples were cut into 2 x 2 x 30 cm and then conditioned at 25 C and 65 % relative humidity for 3 weeks. Heat treatment was than applied to the wood samples at four different temperatures (130C, 150 C, 180C, 200 C ) and three different durations (2, 6, 10 h) under atmospheric pressure. MOE for control and the heat treated samples were recorded at Universal Test Machine. The results showed that MOE of the wood depended to a considerable extent on the heat treatment conditions, decreasing with increasing temperature and duration of the heating.

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