Effect of Growth Rate on Wood Quality of Teak (Tectona grandis L.f.) Plnatations at Malsiripura, Kurunegala, Sri Lanka

Abstract

This study was designed to find out how the quality of teak wood changes with growth rates. Based on the diameter at breast height and total tree height, three crown classes namely, suppressed, co-dominant and dominant were selectedfrom a 45-year-old state Tectona grandis Lf (teak) plantation at Malsiripura, Kurunegala, Sri Lanka. Three trees from each crown class were studied. Sample disks were extracted at breast height from each tree, to measure ring width whose values indicate growth rate and specific gravity of each ring. Percentage heartwood was also measured. Mean ring width and mean specific gravity values for each crown class were analyzed. Results indicated that there is no relationship between growth rate and specific gravity. Hence, fast growth rates in shorter rotations is unlikely to reduce specific gravity in teak. Woodproperty patterns werefound similar between the crown classes, indicating that these trends are inherent to teak. It was also found that the percentage heartwood is positively affected by growth rate.