INFLUENCE OF PLANTATION AGE ON CHARACTERISTICS OF GMELINA ARBOREA

INFLUENCE OF PLANTATION AGE ON CHARACTERISTICS OF Gmelina arborea

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Wood presents a unique challenge in use because of its variability and the directional nature of its basic structure. These are the sources of some of its attractive features but they require also that they be handled and applied in ways appropriate for good end use.  The ways in which the structural  features  of  the  particular  species  determine  their properties  and  limit  the  uses  and applications can be studied more precisely (Jayeolaet al., 2009). Many attempts have been made to define wood quality (Keith 1985), but the definition proposed by (Mitchell 1961) appears to be the most widely cited: “Wood quality is the resultant of physical and chemical characteristics possessed by a tree or a part of a tree that enable it to meet the property requirements for different end products”. As wood properties affect  various aspects  of the manufacturing process,  wood quality must be defined  in  terms  of  the  value  of  its  end  products.  In  addition,  the  definition needs  to  include serviceability, and cover attributes of interest to end-users, which may or may not have a direct impact  on  manufacturing,  but  will  continue  to  matter  long  after the product  has  been sold  and installed.   Wood fibres are usually cellulosic elements that are extracted from trees, straw, bamboo, cotton seed, hemp, sugarcane and other sources.