Wood quality indicators as estimator of juvenile wood in Mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla King) from forest plantation in Sukabumi, West Java, Indonesia
1994
Sri Rulliaty
Systematic juvenile wood portion existed along the entire cross section and stem of 12-year old mahogany. In 21-year old and 30-year old mahogany, juvenile wood zone was found to be present from the pith to ring number 11 or 15 at the butt portion of the tree and it followed a cylindrical shape or approximately uniform diameter toward the top. Juvenile wood accounted for about 100, 67, and 55 percent in 12-, 21-, and 30-year old mahogany trees, respectively. It exhibited highly variable cellular dimensions compared to adult wood. Overall, juvenile wood possessed shorter fiber and vessel elements, lower specific gravity, thinner fiber cell walls, smaller fiber and vessel diameters, smaller lumen width and higher pore frequency. The effect of age was highly significant in specific gravity (+), fiber length (+), fiber diameter (+), cell wall thickness (-), lumen width (+), and vessel length (+). Significant differences along the stem were likewise noted in specific gravity (-), fiber length (-), and vessel length (-). Interaction between age class and height level was highly significant in fiber length only. Generally, older trees exhibited higher wood quality values decreasing towards the top of stem. The radial and axial patterns of variation in wood quality indicators studied were significant indicating that even in a single tree wood properties vary. It follows that physical and mechanical properties may vary either radially or longitudinally
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