What does Brazil know about the origin and uses of tree species employed in the housing sector? Perspectives on available species, origin and current challenges

Abstract

Timber consumption is a complex discussion for the industry, in part because the issue has been marked by doubts about lineage and origin. This paper aimed to identify challenges related to species, origins and wood use in the Brazilian construction sector. Searches on corporate websites and face-to-face interviews were used to identify involvement by species and origin in the domestic production of timber for housing. Relevant results were obtained for both methods since their margins of error were low. Forty exotic and nine native species were revealed to contribute significantly to the construction sector. 'Grapia' and 'Angelim pedra' native woods and eight eucalypt and pine species were shown to be the most popular through both methodologies. Pine timber was found to be in greater demand than that of Eucalyptus species. Despite some lack of clarity relating to the origin of certain species, the sector's status was better than expected. However, it still requires assertive actions to increase the use of legalized wood in order to favour product certification and integration into foreign markets.

Is the Timber Construction Sector Prepared for E-Commerce via Instagram®? A Perspective from Brazil

“…Different initiatives have been favorable to ensure propositions from the virtual methodologies. De Araujo et al [16,17,23,24,[33][34][35][45][46][47] have reached representative findings, in these and other publications, by means of sectoral surveys driven by prospections in the corporate websites from internet to characterize timber housing activity under different aspects.…”

“…Wood has great potential to become a key material for future bio-economy due to its intrinsic renewability and capacity to store carbon dioxide, as stated by Panzarasa and Burgert [13] and [14,15]. Woody species and materials are numerous as confirmed by De Araujo et al [16,17], Knauf [18], and Gouveia et al [19]. Hardwoods are efficient for structural ends, as proved by Wolenski et al [20] and Marcolin et al [21].…”

“…Hence, wood has been widely studied, and the main topics include new products and composites, chemistry and physical-mechanical evaluation for construction applications [22]. Timber buildings are solutions structurally composed of woods with native or silvicultural origins, whose bioresources are applied in the form of wooden logs, lumber, machined timber, and/or engineered wood products (panels and beams) [16,17]. Thereby, these bioresources have enabled the edification of timber-based heavy skeletons and lightweight framings, which may be covered by different wooden materials, masonry, glass, and other construction materials [23].…”

Comparative Study of Plywood Boards Produced with Castor Oil-Based Polyurethane and Phenol-Formaldehyde Using Pinus taeda L. Veneers Treated with Chromated Copper Arsenate

“…Pines and eucalypts have been produced from extensive planted forests to supply different sectors of the Brazilian timber industry [4]. Today, four pine essences (Slash pine, Caribbean pine, Ocote pine, and Loblolly pine) are among the main wood species applied to added-value construction parts and panels in Brazil [5]. Pine is used to produce lumber, plywoods and other value-added goods [4].…”

“…• Loblolly pine (Pinus taeda Linnaeus) wood was considered due to its wide availability and utilization in Brazil, as cited by De Araujo et al [5], for the timber industry and construction applications.…”