A Note on Heartwood Proportion and Wood Density of 8-year-old Teak

Three wood properties, viz. ring width, basic density and heartwood percentage were studied in breast height in 102 trees sampled from four plots of8-year-old teak (Tectona grandis L.f.) plantation in Nilambur (Kerala). Heartwood proportion by volume was only 30%, which is lower than half the value recorded for 51-52-year-old trees grown in the same geographic location. Mean basic density (582 kg//m³) was only about 5% lower than the average density reported for 51-52-year-old trees grown in the same location. On the other hand, the density value is about 6% greater than the recorded for 27-year-old teak grown in Nigeria. Faster growth was associated with higher heartwood percentage while wood density was independent of growth rate.