LONGITUDINAL VARIATION IN SELECTED WOOD PROPERTIES OF NATURALLY AND PLANTATION GROWN LIGHT-RED-MERANTI (SHOREA-LEPROSULA AND SHOREA-PARVIFOLIA, DIPTEROCARPACEAE)

Longitudinal variation in fibre wall percentage, area percentage of ve ssels and resin canals and specific gravity was studied at three to fi ve height levels in three naturally and five plantation grown trees of Light Red Meranti (Shorea leprosula and S. parvifolia). All three var iables show considerable differences within and among the studied tree s. The area percentage of vessels and resin canals increases from the base to the top of the bole, most prominently in the naturally grown t rees. The fibre wall percentage and the specific gravity in both the n aturally grown and plantation grown trees show a decrease followed by an increase towards the top of the bole, with the lowest values at hei ghts of about 5-10 m. The average fibre wall percentages for plantatio n grown trees mostly fall within the same range as those of the natura lly grown trees. The total-tree-averages for specific gravity of three plantation grown trees and for the percentage of vessels and resin ca nals of two plantation grown trees are distinctly lower than those of the three naturally grown trees.