Wood quality of Brazilian mahogany planted for lumber production

Abstract

The aim was to evaluate the quality of Brazilian mahogany wood (16 years old) from commercial planting for the lumber production. As quality indexes the end split of logs were evaluated, as were the warping and splits of the lumber and the maximum angular deviation (MAD). During five days of storage of the logs there was the evolution of the end split indexes, but the splits opening was practically constant and less than 1 mm. For the wet and dry lumber, the indexes bow and spring were smaller than the maximum limit of 0.50%, recommended in current technical standard, which shows a good dimensional stability of the species. A 34% share of the air dried lumber did not show end splitting. The MAD increased from the pith to bark and along the height of the stem, and this evaluation made it possible to classify the wood grain as having a tendency for interlocking. There was a decrease in end splitting of logs with an increase of MAD and diameter. The young mahogany wood has satisfactory quality for lumber production.