Wood properties of Pericopsis mooniana grown in a plantation in Indonesia

The relationships between growth characteristics and wood properties were investigated for a threatened species, Pericopsis mooniana, to promote the establishment of plantations of this species in the tropics. Growth characteristics (diameter and height) and stress-wave velocity (SWV) of trees were measured for 22-year-old P. mooniana trees planted in Indonesia. The trees were categorized into three groups, fast-growing, middle-growing, and slow-growing trees, to investigate the effect of growth rate on the wood properties. In addition, radial variation of anatomical characteristics and wood properties were determined. No significant correlation was found between growth characteristics and SWV. The values for the vessel diameter, cell wall thickness of wood fibers, wood fiber length, basic density, modulus of elasticity, and modulus of rupture from wood at the bark side were higher than those at the pith side. On the other hand, vessel frequency gradually decreased from pith to bark. These results suggested that low-quality wood, such as juvenile wood, existed near the pith area.