Abstract
Aim of the study: The aim of the study is to assess the variation of pith eccentricity, heartwood proportion, latewood percentage and basic wood density along the stem of 45-year-old A. melanoxylon trees collected in four sites of Portugal, and investigate the eventual relationship between these variables.Area of study: Sites covering littoral north, mid interior north and centre interior of Portugal.Materials and methods: Four sites and five trees per site were selected in the Acacia melanoxylon Portuguese forest.One wood sample at each of six height levels per tree was collected in order to evaluate its basic density, pith eccentricity, heartwood and latewood proportions.Main results: The high variability of the wood macroscopic properties among trees from the same site regarding to the variation of the corresponding average properties along the stem is a key characteristic of the experimental data.As a consequence, a multiple linear regression model tested was not able to properly explain the wood basic density variation of the 120 wood samples analysed. In spite of this, the following trends could be recognized: (i) excluding the base level, wood basic density moderately increased with tree level; (ii) latewood proportion followed similar behaviour; (iii) pith eccentricity was low; (iv) heartwood proportion decreased markedly with tree height, from 70% at the base to 7% at the top.Research highlights: The high basic density, the relatively low variability along the stem and the low pith eccentricity enable us to anticipate good performance as raw material for the wood industry.Key words: Acacia melanoxylon; basic density; earlywood; latewood; heartwood; sapwood; pith eccentricity.
Highlights
Acacia is a woody genus with more than 1000 species occurring naturally in arid areas of Australia, Asia, Africa, and tropical America (Playford et al, 1991)
The present paper aims to report on the variation of pith eccentricity, heartwood proportion, latewood percentage and basic wood density along the stem of 45-year-old A. melanoxylon trees collected in four sites of Portugal
In the scope of a research project involving several Portuguese institutions, wood samples of Acacia melanoxylon trees of unknown seed origin were collected from four different sites in Portugal – the Camarido National Forest (MNC), at the mouth of Minho River, in the very littoral north close to Caminha, the Forest Perimeter of Ovar Dunes (PFDOVM), in the littoral north close to Ovar, the Forest Perimeter of Rebordões de Santa Maria (PFRSM), in the north mid interior close to Ponte de Lima, and the Forest Perimeter of Crasto Mountain (PFC), in the centre interior close to Viseu
Summary
Acacia is a woody genus with more than 1000 species occurring naturally in arid areas of Australia, Asia, Africa, and tropical America (Playford et al, 1991). Br. is distributed in Australia along the east coast, from southern Tasmania to Atherton in Queensland, and is a prized native tree for furniture. This acacia, named Blackwood, has been extensively utilized in South Africa for fuel, shelter belts, fence droppers, building structures and mine props, and high quality Blackwood stems are highly rated for quality sawn products (Playford et al, 1991)
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