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Timber species grouping in Bangladesh: linking wood properties

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Abstract

Timber species grouping (TSG) is essential for meaningful and cost-optimal use of wood. Bangladesh forests are exceedingly diverse and comprise many woody species which are potentially suitable for versatile uses including structural materials. Traditionally, widely known tree species are used for structural timber because technological properties of most of the species are poorly known. In this study, a hierarchical agglomerative cluster analysis based on three selected wood properties [i.e., wood density, modulus of elasticity (MOE) and modulus of rupture (MOR)] of seventy-nine timber species was done. The clustering process led to the formation of four distinct species groups [i.e., very low (TSG1), low (TSG2), medium (TSG3) and high (TSG4)]. However, the species grouping patterns also varied from trait to trait. This might be due to moderate relationship between density and MOE (r 2 = 0.46) or MOR (r 2 = 0.52). Species of the TSG1 group are mainly characterized by extremely low trait values, while the TSG4 group consists of species having exceedingly high trait values. The TSG2 and TSG3 groups are characterized by low and medium trait values. Hence, it is suggested to select suitable species from these groups, particularly the lesser known high-quality species in afforestation and reforestation programs to meet future timber demand in Bangladesh.

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Acknowledgments

This study was partly supported by a research grant from Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST), Sylhet, Bangladesh. The authors wish to thank Bangladesh Forest Research Institute (BFRI), Chittagong, for using their library. Special thanks to Mr. Swaikat Haldar for his help in literature collection. We are grateful to two anonymous reviewers for their critical comments on an earlier version of the manuscript.

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  1. Department of Forestry and Environmental Science, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet, 3114, Bangladesh

    Md. Qumruzzaman Chowdhury, Swapan Kumar Sarker, Jiban Chandra Deb & Sanjay Saha Sonet

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  1. Md. Qumruzzaman Chowdhury
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  2. Swapan Kumar Sarker
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  3. Jiban Chandra Deb
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Correspondence to Md. Qumruzzaman Chowdhury.

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Chowdhury, M.Q., Sarker, S.K., Deb, J.C. et al. Timber species grouping in Bangladesh: linking wood properties. Wood Sci Technol 47, 797–813 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00226-013-0532-0

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