Abstract
Accepted 10th January, 2022
One important aspect of the Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) scheme is the promotion of Lesser-Used” Timber Species (LUS) in substituting for the over-exploited and well-known timber species. The successful promotion and utilization of LUS require technical information relating to their processing, mechanical, physical, anatomical, and pathological properties. The main objective of the study was to determine the relationship between density on the mechanical strength properties of Ricinidendron heudelotii wood sampled from two ecological regions in Ghana. The study revealed strong correlations (85-99 %) between the density and mechanical strength properties. Regression equations in the power form of Y= aXn were derived with R2 values of 0.67-0.81. This implies that a reasonable estimate of the strength of R.heudelotii could be made based on the density especially where tangible grading rules are absent. The study further revealed the variations along the tree height of the species. There was an overall decreasing trend from the butt portions to the top portions of the wood species in terms of density and mechanical strength properties. There was a significant difference between static bending, shear, compression, and tensile parallel to the grain within the tree height. The wood of R. heudelotii is considered a less dense wood with an average density of 388.7 kg/m3 and mean strength values are as follows: - MOE (5,867 N/mm2), MOR (41 N/mm2), compression (17.9 N/mm2), shear (6.0 N/mm2), and tensile parallel to grain (29.6 N/mm2). The wood is considered a potential substitute for Balsa Wood (Ochroma pyramidale) and Wawa (Triplochiton scleryxylon).
Keywords: Wood Density, Tropical Lesser-used wood species, Mechanical strength properties
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