Inter- and Intraspecific Differences in Physical and Mechanical Properties of Wood from Sclerocarya birrea and Anogeissus leiocarpus

Abstract

This paper studied the basic density and mechanical properties differences of wood among and within Sclerocarya birrea and Anogeissus leiocarpus. Three trees from each species were selected from the Lagawa Natural Forest Reserve in Western Kordofan State, Sudan. Test specimens were selected from three vertical positions (10, 50, and 90% along the bole length) of the trees. Specimens were also collected from three horizontal positions (innerwood, middlewood, and outerwood) within each of the three vertical positions. Tests for basic density of wood (BD), modulus of rupture (MOR), modulus of elasticity (MOE), compressive (CS), and shear strength (SS) parallel to the grain were performed. An analysis of variance shows that only the horizontal positions were a significant source of variation for both species studied. The correlation coefficient of BD was significant, weak, and positive for the mechanical properties of A. leiocarpus. A similar observation was found for BD correlated with CS and SS for S. birrea.

Variation in Moisture Content and Density Whitin and Among Freshly Felled Sclerocarya birrea and Anogeissus leiocarpus

“…were cut from the Lagawa Natural Forest Reserve in the state of Western Kordofan, Sudan. The trees were harvested on January 8, 2018, using a chainsaw [28].…”

“…The sapwood has been described as expansive, and it cannot be distinguished from the heartwood with precision. S. birrea wood has a medium density of 0.52 g/cm 3 and a considerable extractive content of 13.85% [27,28]. Its wood is used for flooring, cooking items, fencing posts, and fuel [21,24].…”

“…The heartwood is dark brown and the sapwood is yellowish. Its wood has a high extractive content of 17.38% and a high density of 0.92 g/cm 3 [27,28]. A. leiocarpus wood is ring-porous and includes crystals and traumatic channels on its surface.…”