Effect of management treatment and growing regions on wood properties of Gmelina arborea in Costa Rica

Gmelina arborea (gmelina) was introduced into Costa Rica through reforestation programs with federal incentives. Two areas where gmelina planting were most abundant were the North Pacific and North regions of the country that are representative of dry tropical and humid tropical climatic zones, respectively. This distribution pattern has led to plantations with different management regimes, which still exist today, namely intensive, intermediate and no management treatment. This research looks at the type of wood being produced in both climatic regions and the effect of management intensity. Preliminary results indicate that gmelina wood from the dry region has a higher heartwood percentage, higher specific gravity, better mechanical properties and higher absorption of preservatives when pressure treated than does wood from the humid regions. With regards to management intensity, the results indicate that plantations with no management produced higher specific gravity wood with better mechanical properties than those with intensive or intermediate management. There were no differences between intermediate and intensive management regimes in relation to heartwood percent, decay resistance, and preservative absorption using the dip-diffusion system.