Abstract
ABSTRACT Agroforestry systems (AFSs) integrate, through sustainable practices, agricultural and forest crops for the production of wood and food, providing environmental services, and conserving biodiversity. The freijó (Cordia goeldiana) has potential for cultivation in the Amazon for timber purposes, but data on the characteristics of its wood produced in AFSs are scarce. Our objective was to determine the physical-mechanical properties and suggest technological applications of freijó wood produced in a multi-stratified AFS established in the state of Rondônia, Brazil in 1996. Agricultural and forest species were established in the AFS in double rows with 5.0-m x 2.5-m spacing. Three 19-year-old freijó trees were harvested for chemical, physical (density and dimensional stability), and mechanical (compression, static bending, Janka hardness, and shear strength) characterization of the wood. The wood presented a chemical composition similar to tropical hardwoods, was moderately heavy (582.63 kg m-3), and had high dimensional stability in comparison with other consecrated woods on the market (longitudinal, radial, and tangential retraction = 0.25, 4.27, and 6.83%, respectively). The values determined for parallel (32.32 MPa) and perpendicular compression (8.02 MPa), specific strength (55.32 MPa kg-1 m-3), parallel (2373.33 N) and perpendicular Janka hardness (2326.67 N), strength to static bending (63.5 MPa), and shear (5.94 MPa) were similar to the values observed in other high-density tropical woods grown in either monoculture plantations or natural forests. The wood under study is suitable for manufacture of high-value-added products, such as fine furniture, residential floors, musical instruments and structural pieces.
Highlights
In the Brazilian Amazon, the correct planning to balance the conservation of natural resources and agricultural activity is the most intensely discussed subject among researchers, farmers, government, and non-government agencies (Pereira et al 2019; Reydon et al 2020)
The inclusion of high-value native wood species can increase the profitability of Agroforestry systems (AFSs), as species that are well adapted to local edaphoclimatic conditions and ecological interactions, when correctly planted and harvested, can contribute to the decrease of the exploitation of natural forests (Kay et al 2019; Reis et al 2020)
Mean annual increment (MAI) in height was 0.67 m tree-1 and the average commercial height corresponded to 63.5% of the tree total height (Table 3)
Summary
In the Brazilian Amazon, the correct planning to balance the conservation of natural resources and agricultural activity is the most intensely discussed subject among researchers, farmers, government, and non-government agencies (Pereira et al 2019; Reydon et al 2020). With the growing demand for food and the expansion of cultivated areas, the search for alternatives to the conventional agricultural systems is required. To reconcile these aspects with the conservation of ecosystems, agriculture strategies that enable less waste emission, recover degraded areas, reduce deforestation and provide environmental services should be considered (Cortner et al 2020; Stabile et al 2020). Agroforestry systems (AFSs) are inserted in the context of sustainable land uses as they allow to integrate agricultural production with practices of traditional communities and promote soil and biodiversity conservation (Kay et al 2019). The inclusion of high-value native wood species can increase the profitability of AFSs, as species that are well adapted to local edaphoclimatic conditions and ecological interactions, when correctly planted and harvested, can contribute to the decrease of the exploitation of natural forests (Kay et al 2019; Reis et al 2020)
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