Natural degradation of logs from five forest species in two environments

Abstract

This research had as objective to evaluate the natural degradation of a sample of a timber recently felled down, in two environments, as well as to register the occurrence of termites and beetles in the respective samples and environments. The searched species were, Eucalyptus urophylla S T Blake (Myrtaceae), Melia azedarach L. (Meliaceae), Lophantera lactescens Ducke, (Malpighiaceae), Pinus elliottii Engelm (Pinaceae), Inga marginata Willd (Mimosaceae). The experiment was accomplished in two rotten fields, one inside of a secondary forest and another one a gramineas pasture. We enrolled 56,6% of the sample with the presence of termites in the field within the forest, and the identified species were: Nasutitermes minor (HOMGREN, 1906), Nasutitermes jaraguae (SNYDER, 1924) and Heterotermes longiceps (SNYDER, 1924). In the open field it was registered 20% of the sample the shaft with the presence of termites, with only occurrence of only one species, H. longiceps. Were that one less deteriorated as inside the forest as in the open field: M. azedarach and L. lactescens.