Managing the Technological Potential of Eschweilera truncata A. C. Sm in the Amazon

Abstract

Eschweilera truncata trees, known commercially by the name of Matamatá, are abundant, widely distributed throughout the forest, and characterized by important features for forest management, but are not harvested due to the scarcity of studies of the technological attributes that would reveal their potential, such as their machining and physical properties. Otherwise such studies might contribute to the inclusion of new species in the market, strengthening the sustainability of the forest ecosystems. Given this gap, the present research aimed to evaluate the performance of Matamatá wood in terms of its physical properties and behaviour under the machining process that would be used in this sector of the timber industry. The research involved a study of the tree, from which a base disk was removed in order to analyse its apparent density, density, shrinkage and anisotropy coefficient. The tradable shaft was split into logs and planks to assess the effects of machining processes. In the data analysis, we used descriptive statistics and the Tukey test. The results obtained classify Matamatá wood as high density and identify its anisotropy coefficient of 1.90, suggesting a medium to low stability. E. truncata wood performed excellently in the machining evaluation, and its results in the planer, sandpaper, drill perforation, frame in the top and lathe tests were also outstanding; in addition it presented wood material of the same quality throughout, whether heartwood or sapwood. This is an important indicator of wood yield, signifying that greater use can be made of the wood. The performance of the wood was validated via the manufacture of products such as furniture, decoration and finger-boards for musical instruments. In general, it can be concluded that the wood studied may be used in the lumber industry, because it presents similar features to those in the species already marketed and because it is plentiful all over the Amazon region.