WOOD QUALITY OF Eucalyptus grandis DOMINANT AND AVERAGE TREES SUBMITTED TO DRYING

Abstract

This study determined, in trees of dominant and average diameter, the infl uence of air seasoning followed by kiln drying in the sawn wood quality of 14 years old stand of Eucalyptus grandis W. Hill ex Maiden, located in Capivari do Sul municipality, state of Rio Grande do Sul. The sampling of trees was performed after a pilot inventory on the basis of the dominant and average diameter at breast height (DBH). After cutting down the trees, there were selected the logs located between the DBH and 25% of commercial height. The logs were then sawn using into boards that were submitted to air seasoning from green up to 18% of moisture content, followed by kiln drying until 13% of moisture content. End checking and board crook were evaluate after sawing, following air seasoning and kiln drying. The results indicate that, both for dominant and average trees, end checking and board crook were not infl uenced by different wood process stage. However, the contrast between dominant and average trees shows that the magnitude of defects is higher in the average trees.