Variations in heartwood formation and wood density as a function of age and plant spacing in a fast-growing eucalyptus plantation
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Lourdes Maria Hilgert Santos
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João Gabriel Missia da Silva
Abstract
The heartwood formation process is little known in fast growing plantation woods. Therefore, the aims of this study were to determine how planting spacing and tree age affect the formation and proportion of heartwood and sapwood, as well as the density of eucalyptus wood. Trees from a eucalyptus clonal plantation (Eucalyptus grandis × E. urophylla hybrid) cultivated in three spacings (3 × 1, 3 × 2 and 3 × 3 m) were sampled at 14, 27, 32, 53, 64 and 76 months of age. Heartwood percentage was quantified with Dimethyl yellow indicator, while the wood density was determined by X-ray densitometry. The heartwood percentage, wood volume, heartwood density and wood density were correlated with the different growth rates. The heartwood formation process started between 32 and 53 months, regardless of spacing. The heartwood proportion doubled with increasing age in the widest spacing and increased about four times in 3 × 1 and 3 × 2 m spacing. The planting spacing influenced the growth rates of the trees, but did not affect the heartwood and sapwood percentage or density. The greatest increase in density values occurred between the first year of growth (14 months) and the beginning of heartwood formation (53 months).
Funding source: Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior
Award Identifier / Grant number: 001
Acknowledgments
The authors are grateful to Suzano S.A for donating the analysed material.
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Author contributions: All the authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this submitted manuscript and approved submission.
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Research funding: This study was partly financed by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior – Brasil (CAPES) – Finance Code 001 and the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa e Inovação do Espírito Santo (FAPES).
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Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare no conflicts of interest regarding this article.
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© 2021 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Original Articles
- Variations in heartwood formation and wood density as a function of age and plant spacing in a fast-growing eucalyptus plantation
- On-line characterization of wood chip brightness and chemical composition by means of visible and near-infrared spectroscopy
- Extractives in Betula celtiberica stemwood and isolation and identification of diarylheptanoids in the hydrophilic extract
- High recovery of stilbene glucosides by acetone extraction of fresh inner bark of Norway spruce
- Natural cork and its agglomerates as substitutes for high-density expanded polystyrene foams in sandwich cores
- Understanding the thermal durability of wood-based composites (WBCs) using crack propagation fracture toughness
- Evaluation of changes in cellulose micro/nanofibrils structure under chemical and enzymatic pre-treatments
- Multi-scale evaluation of the effect of saturated steam on the micromechanical properties of Moso bamboo
- Short Note
- Wood modification with N-methylol and N-methyl compounds: a case study on how non-fixated chemicals in modified wood may affect the classification of their durability
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Original Articles
- Variations in heartwood formation and wood density as a function of age and plant spacing in a fast-growing eucalyptus plantation
- On-line characterization of wood chip brightness and chemical composition by means of visible and near-infrared spectroscopy
- Extractives in Betula celtiberica stemwood and isolation and identification of diarylheptanoids in the hydrophilic extract
- High recovery of stilbene glucosides by acetone extraction of fresh inner bark of Norway spruce
- Natural cork and its agglomerates as substitutes for high-density expanded polystyrene foams in sandwich cores
- Understanding the thermal durability of wood-based composites (WBCs) using crack propagation fracture toughness
- Evaluation of changes in cellulose micro/nanofibrils structure under chemical and enzymatic pre-treatments
- Multi-scale evaluation of the effect of saturated steam on the micromechanical properties of Moso bamboo
- Short Note
- Wood modification with N-methylol and N-methyl compounds: a case study on how non-fixated chemicals in modified wood may affect the classification of their durability
