Natural durability of tropical plantation woods case in teak

IRG/WP 23-11011

K Yamamoto

Teak (T. grandis) is one of the most popular tropical timber species when it comes to the natural durability. High value of teak timber is attracting the attention to expand fast growing teak plantations, and the natural durability of plantation teak wood has been examined in various provenances of tropics. Natural durability of plantation and natural teak wood using three disks was examined through sapwood to heartwood by an accelerated decay test according to JIS Z2101 using a white rot fungus, Trametes versicolor, and a brown rot fungus, Fomitopsis palustris. Wood blocks, 20×20×10 mm in size were cut from the disks across the radius of the stem via pith. The percentage of mass loss of each block caused by decay was obtained after 12 weeks of incubation with these fungi. All of sapwood examined was not durable. Only outer and middle heartwood were generally durable both plantation and natural teak specimens, but inner heartwood was moderately durable. There were no clear differences of durability found between planted and natural grown teak. Heartwood proportion is important if the characteristics of natural durability are to be utilized in value added wood products, as the amount of heartwood is small in young plantation teak.


Keywords: tropical plantation, provenance, natural durability, heartwood, teakwood, Tectona grandis

Conference: 23-05-28/06-01 Cairns, Australia


Download document (272 kb)
free for the members of IRG. Available if purchased.

Purchase this document