Wood Formation in Two Species of Dipterocarpaceae in Peninsular Malaysia

Abstract

The wood formation of kapur ( Dryobalanops sumatrensis ) and tembaga ( Shorea leprosula ), growing under a weak seasonal climate in West Malaysia was studied over a four-year period using cambium marking. Technical problems arose from the heavy callus formation due to the wounding of the cambium, the small radial increment, and the high variability of the cambial activity around and along the stem. Wood formation in the two tree species appears to be a continuous process and not related to seasonality in rainfall and phenology.