Wood Property Variation in Acacia Auriculiformis Growing in Bangladesh

This study examined the radial variations of wood properties in 11-yr-old Acacia auriculiformis grown in Bangladesh having diameters of 222 ± 38 mm. The basic density, fiber length, and fiber length increment increased up to about 80 mm radial distance from the pith and then were almost constant toward the bark. The compressive strength (CS) increased from the pith to 50 mm and then became nearly constant to the bark. Conversely, the specific compressive strength, the ratio of CS to air-dried density, was almost constant from pith to bark, indicating positive relationships. However, the air-dried density explained only 50% variation of the CS. On the basis of radial variation of basic density, the core wood and outer wood boundary can be delineated at 70 - 90 mm from the pith. Similarly, the fiber length and fiber length increment curves showed that this boundary could be marked at 60 - 90 mm from the pith. The selected wood properties except CS varied significantly among the trees, which indicated the potential of tree selection for wood quality improvement through tree breeding