GROUPING OF FOREST SPECIES BY SIMILARITY OF PHYSICAL-ANATOMICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND USES OF WOOD

Abstract

The comprehension of the physical properties and anatomical characteristics of wood from different tree species is fundamental for its classification and grouping aiming to recommend the applications and common uses. With these objectives in this study, were analyzed the anatomical and physical properties of wood from 15 arboreal species, determining the basic density, fiber dimension and vessel elements. The multivariate statistical analysis for grouping of different wood species through the principal component analysis and cluster was applied. The results showed significant variations in the parameters of wood basic density and anatomy, demonstrating its effectiveness in the differentiation of 15 forest species. The values of wood basic density and anatomical features used in multivariate statistical analysis enabled to create a dendrogram of dissimilarity (Euclidean distance) with different groups of forest species through their similarities. This grouping allowed to recommended the applications of solid wood in four different groups, from sports equipment and aeromodelling to floors and heavy construction.