Chemical properties of Terminalia catappa wood | Kemijska zgradba lesa vrste Terminalia catappa

English. Ghana’s forest is fast depleting as a result of over-dependency on the traditionally known timber species and high demand for wood products for structural works. This study seeks to determine the chemical properties and basic density of Terminalia catappa wood and its potential for structural application. Three mature trees of Terminalia catappa were acquired based on the diameter at the breast height (dbh) greater than 40 cm. In this study 160 samples of wood were used for the chemical properties and density tests. Chemical analyses were performed by using the TAPPI standards. The study revealed that there were higher cellulose and hemicellulose contents in the sapwood than in heartwood, and in the branchwood than in stemwood. Lignin and extractives content were higher in the heartwood than in sapwood, and in the stemwood than in branchwood. The basic density of the sapwood ranged from 473 to 649 kg/m³ and in the heartwood from 444 to 579 kg/m³ being the highest in the base portion and the lowest in the branches. The difference in wood density, which is greater in the base area than the branches, emphasizes how crucial it is to take wood quality into account for the best possible use across various tree portions. The study also clarifies the wood's suitability for structural and non-structural uses. These findings have the potential to influence sustainable forest management strategies and encourage the use of alternative timber to supplement the resource base.

Slovenian. Gozdovi Gane se zaradi prevelike odvisnosti od tradicionalnih lesnih vrst in velikih potreb po lesnih izdelkih za gradbeništvo hitro krčijo. Namen te študije je določiti kemijske lastnosti lesa vrste Terminalia catappa in njen potencial za uporabo v gradbeništvu. Za raziskave smo uporabili tri odrasla drevesa vrste Terminalia catappa s premerom v prsni višini nad 40 cm. Za različne teste je bilo uporabljenih 160 vzorcev ali ponovitev. Kemijske lastnosti vzorcev smo preučili v skladu s TAPPI standardi. Študija je pokazala, da je bila vsebnost celuloze in hemiceluloz večja v beljavi kot v jedrovini in večja v vejah kot v deblu. Vsebnost lignina in ekstraktivov je bila višja v jedrovini kot v beljavi in višja v deblu kot v vejah. Osnovna gostota beljave je bila od 473 do 649 kg/m³, jedrovine pa od 444 do 579 kg/m³, pri čemer je bila najvišja v spodnjem delu debla, najnižja pa v vejah. Razlike v gostoti lesa kažejo, kako pomembno je upoštevati lastnosti lesa iz različnih delov drevesa, za najboljšo možno uporabo. Študija nakazuje tudi primernost lesa za konstrukcijske in nekonstrukcijske uporabe. Te ugotovitve so pomembne za strategijo trajnostnega gospodarjenja z gozdovi in spodbujajo uporabo lesa manj znanih lesnih vrst za pokrivanje potreb po lesu.