Effect of thinning intensity in the sawn wood quality of Eucalyptus grandis

Abstract

This study was undertaken to determine the effect of thinning intensity in the sawn wood quality of 14 years old Eucalyptus grandis W. Hill ex Maiden. There was analyzed a thinning experiment, located in the northern coast of Rio Grande do Sul installed in randomized blocks, with four treatments and four repetitions. The trees were selected on the basis of the dominant and average diameter at breast height (DBH) of each treatment. After cutting down, there were selected logs located between DBH and 25% of the commercial height, for evaluations of end splits and board spring. The results indicated that thinning intensity reduced end splits of boards of dominant trees and did not present a clear trend for the average ones. In relation to the sampled stratum, this defect was higher in average trees. The board spring was influenced by thinning in both dominant and average trees, however, without presenting a clear trend with its intensity. The comparison of this defect between dominant and average trees showed no significance.