Lumber Potential of Tropical Species in a Mixed Plantation:Assessment at 50 Months

Abstract The use of tropical species in forest plantations is an alternative to supply the demand of good quality wood. However, information regarding the performance of planted tropical species is scarce. The aim of this study was to provide an assessment of the lumber potential of Cariniana legalis (“jequitibá-rosa”), Zeyheria tuberculosa (“ipê-felpudo”) and Cordia trichotoma (“louro-pardo”) in a forest plantation. Three trees per species were sampled at age of 50 months, planted in a mixed stand with 2 x 4 m spacing in Porto Seguro, Bahia, Brazil. We assessed characteristics of the trees, the logs, lumber yield, and partial volumetric shrinkage of wood. Total volumetric shrinkage of ipê-felpudo, jequitibá-rosa and louro-pardo would be around 12.80%, 13.40% and 11.58%, respectively. Among the three species analyzed, louro-pardo had the best performance, followed by ipê-felpudo, while jequitibá-rosa had the worst performance. All species had good performance regarding log quality and dimensional stability of wood.