Effects of thinning on anatomical characteristics and wood properties of 12-year-old Eucalyptus camaldulensis trees planted in Thailand

Abstract

To clarify the effects of thinning on the growth and wood quality of Eucalyptus camaldulensis trees grown in Thailand, the growth characteristics, anatomical characteristics, and wood properties of T5 clones, which are used on plantations to produce pulpwood, were investigated. Core samples were collected from trees grown on both thinned and unthinned (i.e., control) plots. The effects of thinning on the trees’ anatomical characteristics and wood properties were evaluated at bark side (2 cm from the bark) of the tree. We identified significant differences between the two plots in terms of stem diameter, wood volume, wall thickness of wood fiber, moisture content, and basic density. However, trends in the radial variation of the measured characteristics were almost the same between the thinned and control plots. These results suggest that prolonged rotation age and subsequent thinning do not negatively affect the quality of solid wood produced by E. camaldulensis.