Provenance variation in wood anatomical properties of selected acacia species

A detailed wood anatomical study of Acacia mangium and Acacia auriculiformis from seven provenances raised in the instructional farm of College of Forestry, Kerala Agricultural University, at Vellannikkara, Thrissur, was carried out to find out the best performing provenance under the prevailing agro-climatic conditions. Wood anatomical characters such as vessel element diameter, vessel frequency, ray height, ray width, tissue proportion and physical properties such as heartwood percentage, bark thickness were analyzed. The study concluded that A. mangium is suitable for paper and pulping whereas A. auriculiformis is suitable for solid wood purposes. The information obtained in the study can be used to select specific provenances for various end uses. © 2012 Indian Academy of Wood Science.