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The variable environmental conditions of the Amazon forest can affect the wood properties of the tree species distributed across its diverse phytophysiognomies. Carapa guianensis (Andiroba) occurs in upland and floodplain forests, and the wood and oil of its seeds have multiple uses. The aim of this study was to evaluate the wood properties of C. guianensis trees in upland and estuarine floodplain forests of the Amazon River. Eight trees were selected, with four being from the upland and four from the floodplain forests. The fiber length, fiber wall thickness, vessel diameter and frequency, microfibril angle, specific gravity and wood shrinkage were evaluated. The juvenile and mature wood zones were determined according to these variables. The fiber length, fiber wall thickness and specific gravity increased, and microfibril angle decreased, in the pith to bark direction. Only the fiber length variable was efficient for delimiting juvenile, transition and mature wood. The fiber length, wall thickness and specific gravity of wood were higher in upland forest trees. However, the environment did not alter the beginning of the formation and proportion of C. guianensis mature wood. This information is important for the log fit in cutting diagrams, aiming toward improving the production, classification and processing of pieces with specific quality indexes in order to direct them to appropriate wood uses.

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The influence of tree spacing on the wood/bark ratio is unknown in young fastgrowing Eucalyptus trees. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of plant spacing on the wood and bark production along the Eucalyptus stem. Four genetic materials were planted in four spacings: 3×1 m, 3×2 m, 3×3 m and 3×4 m. Three 5-year-old trees from each clone and in each plant spacing were harvested. Cross-sectional discs (thickness: 30 mm) were cut from each tree along the stem (0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% of the total tree height) and at 1.3 m above ground, totaling 288 disks (4 spacings × 4 clones × 3 replicates × 6 axial positions). The wood thickness was measured at six random and equidistant points around the perimeter using a gauge and means were calculated from each disc. Six cross diameters were measured for each debarked disc. After obtaining the averaged bark thickness and wood diameter, the bark content was calculated as the ratio between the surface area occupied by the bark and the total area of the stem in each level. In the narrowed plant spacing (3×1), the trees had a mean diameter of 7.4 cm, while at the spacing 3×4 the diameter of the trees was 91% higher (14.11 cm) at breast height. The increase in plant spacing from 3 to 12 m 2 per tree resulted in an increase in bark thickness (56.7%) from 1.94 mm to 3.04 mm, but caused a reduction of bark content (16%) from 9.66% to 8.11%. Our findings show that trees grown under wider spacing tend to produce thicker bark. The bark thickness and the effect of plant spacing on the bark thickness decreased in the base-top direction. The correlation between bark thickness and wood diameter increases from 0.682 to 0.825 with the increase of spacing between trees. In contrast, the bark thickness to bark content correlation decrease from 0.735 to 0.15 with increased plant spacing. The stand density significantly affected the variation of the stem diameter, bark thickness and bark content of Eucalyptus plantations.

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A expansão das áreas para o cultivo de grão

AbstractThe relationship between grain angle and wood properties has not been focus of researches in wood industry. The aim of this study was to establish grain angle variations in commercial Eucalyptus logs and their effects on physical-mechanical wood properties. Wood maximum angular deviation (MAD) was correlated with density, volumetric shrinkage, compressive strength parallel to grain, flexural strength and stiffness as determined by bending and acoustic methods in wood of seven Eucalyptus grandis × Eucalyptus urophylla clones at 13 years old. The relationship between MAD at pith-bark and base-top positions and its effect on the physical and mechanical properties were evaluated. Amplitude of MAD values was small for the seven clones, and the mean was 6.2°. The grain deviation decreased by only 8% in base-top direction, and the correlations among MAD and three logs heights were small and negative (r = −0.13). MAD values presented an increasing trend of 33% in pith-bark direction, with a small positive correlation (r = 0.42). Basic density (BD) presented a significant correlation with the MAD (r = 26). There was no significant correlation between the MAD and volumetric shrinkage, mechanical properties and modulus of elasticity dynamic (determined by stress wave timer, ultrasound or transverse vibration).