Abstract
Abstract: The objective of this work was to test a new methodology to assess the resistance of trees to wind damage and determine the characteristics that increase clone resistance to winds. Tree resistance to breakage, basic density, ultrastructure, anatomy, mechanical properties, and wood growth stress have been evaluated in seven Eucalyptus grandis × Eucalyptus urophylla clones, collected from a region with a high incidence of wind damage. The Pearson correlation coefficient between the tree resistance to breakage and the ratio between the area damaged by the winds and the total planted area was -0.839, showing the efficiency of the methodology adopted and that high breaking strength results in a smaller area affected by wind damage. Trees with a high basic density, cell wall fraction, modulus of elasticity of the middle lamella and fibers, fiber hardness, modulus of rupture, growth stress and low microfibril angle and height and width of the rays showed greater resistance to wind damage. Therefore, the selection of clones with these features may reduce the incidence of damage by winds in Eucalyptus plantations.
Highlights
The forestry segment is important for Brazilian economy (IBÁ, 2014)
The objective of this work was to test a new methodology for assessing the resistance of trees to breakage, and to evaluate the properties of Eucalyptus wood, relating them to tree resistance to wind damage, and assisting in management of eucalyptus wind damage
Four trees per clone were cut and two discs were removed at 1.3 meter height to evaluate the anatomy, basic density and ultrastructure of the wood, and a three-meter log was removed above these discs for characterization of the wood’s mechanical properties
Summary
The forestry segment is important for Brazilian economy (IBÁ, 2014). Eucalyptus wood is the main raw material in this industry and can be used to produce pulp, energy, panels, and lumber. In Brazil, the planted forests of Eucalyptus produce an average of 39 m3 ha-1 year-1 in a cutting cycle of seven years (IBÁ, 2015). These results are due to climate conditions and investment in research. Environmental factors, such as wind damages, can limit or restrict the Eucalyptus wood production (Braz et al, 2014; Boschetti et al, 2015). Wind is a phenomenon that causes disturbances in natural and planted forests, with damage recorded since 1940 (Mitchell, 2013) and reports worldwide (Allen et al, 2012; Mitchell, 2013; Moore et al, 2013). In Brazil, the damage caused by wind in the forest plantations of Eucalyptus spp. occurs mainly between
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