Environmental Effect on Growth and Characteristics of Eucalyptus Wood

Thaís Pereira Freitas,José Tarcisio Da Silva Oliveira,Juarez Benigno Paes,Graziela Baptista Vidaurre,José Luis Lima

doi:10.1590/2179-8087.030216

Thaís Pereira Freitas, José Tarcisio Da Silva Oliveira + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.1590/2179-8087.030216

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Abstract

ABSTRACT The objective of this work was to evaluate environmental effect on growth, wood basic density and anatomical characteristics of Eucalyptus grandis × Eucalyptus urophylla clones for pulp production. The studied clones were from 6.5-year-old plantations of Fibria Celulose company, located in two places: Nova Almeida (ES) and Posto da Mata (BA). The total and commercial heights, diameter at breast height (DBH), wood and bark volume (dendrometric characteristics), heartwood and sapwood percentages, wood basic density and wood fibers and vessels were evaluated. The heartwood and sapwood percentage and vessel frequency were the only characteristics not influenced by the growth site among the studied parameters. On the other hand, tree height (total and commercial) was considered the most influenced by the environment.

Highlights

AND OBJECTIVESAccording to the Brazilian Tree Industry, Ibá (2015), 34% of 7.74 million hectares of trees planted in Brazil belonged to companies in the pulp and paper segment, with eucalyptus being used as the raw material by industries in this sector, representing approximately 88.4% of the total in natura wood consumption in 2014, which was equal to 69.91 million m3, and with Pinus accounting for 8.08% of this consumption.In recent decades, Brazil has had an enviable evolution in the productivity of eucalyptus forests, from 15 m3 ha-1 year-1 in the 1970s to a national average of 45 m3 ha-1 year-1 (Gomide et al, 2010)
Tree height was considered the most influenced by the environment
The wood used in this study originated from seven 6.5-year-old Eucalyptus grandis × Eucalyptus urophylla clones, from clonal test plantation areas with 3 × 3 m spacing, of the Fibria Celulose S.A. company in two locations, Nova Almeida, Espírito Santo (ES), and Posto da Mata, Bahia (BA), with five trees being used per clone

Summary

Introduction

AND OBJECTIVESAccording to the Brazilian Tree Industry, Ibá (2015), 34% of 7.74 million hectares of trees planted in Brazil belonged to companies in the pulp and paper segment, with eucalyptus being used as the raw material by industries in this sector, representing approximately 88.4% of the total in natura wood consumption in 2014, which was equal to 69.91 million m3, and with Pinus accounting for 8.08% of this consumption.In recent decades, Brazil has had an enviable evolution in the productivity of eucalyptus forests, from 15 m3 ha-1 year-1 in the 1970s to a national average of 45 m3 ha-1 year-1 (Gomide et al, 2010). According to the Brazilian Tree Industry, Ibá (2015), 34% of 7.74 million hectares of trees planted in Brazil belonged to companies in the pulp and paper segment, with eucalyptus being used as the raw material by industries in this sector, representing approximately 88.4% of the total in natura wood consumption in 2014, which was equal to 69.91 million m3, and with Pinus accounting for 8.08% of this consumption. According to Gomide et al (2005), forest plantations of the last generation of eucalyptus clones belonging to the main Brazilian pulp companies have the highest global levels of average annual increase (IMA). Brazil has a great variety of edaphoclimatic conditions, and it is important that developed clones have the least effect of the growth site on the technological characteristics of their wood in order to ensure producing a raw material that is as homogeneous as possible (Gouvea, et al, 2012). Characterizing wood is expensive, it is of fundamental importance, because in addition to highly productive forests, selecting genetically superior materials in yield and quality of the final product is desired; regarding pulp production, several parameters can be used for determining the wood quality, with these being classified as: physical, where basic density is the main parameter; chemical, such as carbohydrate, lignin and extractive contents; and anatomical, such as the percentage and dimensions of the wood fibers and vessels (Gomide et al, 2010)

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