DYNAMIC OF STEM TAPER AND WOOD PRODUCTION IN Araucaria angustifolia PLANTATIONS

Abstract

The research aimed to evaluate the evolution of stem taper and wood assortment in plantations of Araucaria angustifolia. The data came from 30 sampled trees in plantations established between the decades of 1940-1960 in Irati National Forest, Parana State, Brazil. The trees were subjected to the technique of complete stem analysis that allows reconstitution of the entire past growth. The data generated allowed the obtaintion of diameter at different heights at various ages. The mean stem profile by age was obtained from taper functions and cubic splines functions were used to evaluate the evolution of wood assortment by age classes. We also conducted studies on the stem taper dynamics with the use of form factors. The results were presented with the mean of all trees and grouping them into two site classes, when the trees are 50 years old they reach an average volume of 1.20 m3, of which 14% could be used for lamination, 66.2% for sawmill 2, 15.9% for sawmill 1, 3.7% for pulpwood and only 0.3% would be residuals. In this same age the sites I and II had mean total volume of 1.94 m3 and 0.57 m³, respectively. The 5th degree polynomial function adjusted by age classes allowed to infer that stem tapering improves with age, with the stem becoming more cylindrical. This same trend can be established on the form factor, which practically stabilized after the 35 years of age, at a value of about 0.6.