Effects of age and height variation on physical properties of mangium (Acacia mangium Willd.) wood

Summary

Moisture content, basic density, and tangential, radial and longitudinal shrinkage of wood were assessed in samples from three different heights in trees of Acacia mangium 10,15 or 20 y old grown in Bangladesh. Mean initial moisture content was 73%, mean basic density 560 kg m⁻³ and mean tangential, radial and longitudinal shrinkages were 6.7%, 3.2% and 0.3% respectively from green to oven-dry. There were no significant differences in moisture content, shrinkage and basic density with increasing height in the tree, but these properties (except longitudinal shrinkage) were affected by tree age. Wood with highest density was found in 20-y-old age class and the lowest in the 10-y-old age class.

Keywords:

• wood properties
• moisture content
• density
• shrinkage
• age
• height
• Acacia mangium