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ABSTRACT
Pterocarpus erinaceus, sourced from natural stands, is famed for producing naturally durable heartwood for several outdoor wood products, which has contributed to overharvesting and threats of extinction. The species coppices could offer essential strategy in curbing timber over-exploitation towards sustainable management. This study aimed to establish confidence in utilizing the coppiced wood in accordance with the EN 252 standard (European Committee for Standardization). Mass loss of wood specimens and appearance grading were used to evaluate termite resistance within the coppiced and non-coppiced stems. Mass loss due to termites was much lower in heartwood than in sapwood, this was true for wood coming from the non-coppiced and coppiced stands. It generally decreased from the butt to the top/crown of both trees. Heartwood and sapwood along each tree species would be highly and moderately resistant against termite attack respectively. Due to their high durability, the rosewood trees would be suitable for engineering applications. Thus the promotion of the coppiced P. erinaceus wood production would supplement the use of its non-coppiced counterpart to increase the wood market base.
Acknowledgement
We acknowledge the Staff of the Kumawu Forest District of the Forestry Services Division (FSD), Kumawu, Ashanti Region, Ghana, for providing the P. erinaceus (rosewood) trees for the study. We also thank Technicians at the Demonstration Farm of the Faculty of Renewable Natural Resources, KNUST, for assisting with the field work and those of the Department of Wood Technology workshop for the processing of the wood samples.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).