Effects of Different Cutting Widths on Physical and Mechanical Properties of Moso Bamboo under Strip Cutting

We aimed to explore the effect of strip cutting width on the physical and mechanical properties of Moso bamboo (<i>Phyllostachys edulis</i>). Four-year-old hairy bamboo with different cutting bandwidths (3 m, 5 m, 8 m, 12 m and 15 m) was used as the experimental material, and the traditional management forest (CK) was used as the control. Eight physical and mechanical properties—radial line shrinkage, chordal line shrinkage, volume shrinkage, total dry density, basic density, compressive strength, shear strength and flexural strength—were studied. ANOVA, bivariate correlation analysis, and principal component analysis were performed, which showed the effect of strip cutting on the physical and mechanical properties of bamboo. The results showed that the density, the total dry density, basic density, flexural strength and compressive strength of the strip cut bamboo were lower than those of the control stand. The radial line shrinkage and volume shrinkage were higher than those of the control stand. The chordal line shrinkage was higher than that of the control stand when the cutting bandwidth was 3 m and 5 m and lower than that of the control stand when the cutting bandwidth was 8 m, 12 m and 15 m. The shear strength was lower than that of the control stand when the harvesting bandwidth was 3 m, 5 m and 8 m and higher than that of the control stand when the harvesting bandwidth was 12 m and 15 m. There are different degrees of correlation between the eight physical and mechanical performance indicators. The comprehensive score of the physical and mechanical properties of bamboo in the control stand was 1.30, and the comprehensive score of bamboo in strip harvesting was between 0.37 and 1.25, with an average score of 0.95. The results show that strip cutting can save the time and costs associated with harvesting Moso bamboo forests, but different cutting widths can reduce the physical and mechanical properties of Moso bamboo in different degrees.