Wood density of 59 tree species in the order sapindales from natural forests in Brazil

Abstract

The basic density of wood from 59 tree species was determined in order to estimate the weight of woody biomass from the volume of wood measured in forest inventories. Published information about wood properties of some of these species is scarce. The 59 species considered belong to the families Anacardiaceae, Burseraceae, Meliaceae, Rutaceae, Sapindaceae and Simaroubaceae, all of which are included in the order Sapindales. The basic density was determined in samples obtained in forest inventories performed in the last two decades in various regions of Brazil. Most of the species analyzed (68%) had light or semi-heavy wood (basic density between 0,51 and 0,80), although the density varied widely between species, ranging from 0,38 for Simarouba amara to 1,25 for Schinopsis lorentzii. A literature search revealed data on the basic density of the wood of three quarters of the species under study. According to this data, the wood considered in the present study is 21% more dense than wood from the same species growing in other regions. This study provides new information on wood of tree species about which very little was previously known. The analyzed Brazilian tree species in the order Sapindales were found to be important because of the high basic density of their wood. These trees thus contribute efficiently to biomass accumulation and to the corresponding carbon fixation.