BANGLADESH JOURNAL OF FOREST SCIENCE
A Half-yearly Peer Reviewed Journal of Bangladesh Forest Research Institute
A Half-yearly Peer Reviewed Journal of Bangladesh Forest Research Institute
Green and freshly felled poles have been treated by a simple method and cheap chemicals. The equipment can be located very close to the site of felling and the treatment can be carried out by semi-skilled workmen. An experiment was carried out with this method on five indigenous wood species namely: garjan (Dipterocarpns turbinatus), kao (Garcenia cowa), jam (Syzygiuni grande), kalibatna (Qnercus fenestrata) and rai batna (Quercus thonisoni) with 10% copper sulphate solution at the felling site of Chunati Forest Range, Chittagong. Analysis of the Results on the penetration and the retention of the preservative inside the pole indicates that the entire portion of the sap wood around the pole was completely penetrated and the required retention was obtained.
Albizia falcataria wood has been studied for the suitability of manufacturing cement bonded particleboard. This species failed to produce board in workable conditions with the untreated chips. A substantial improvement of properties was observed when the boards were made with the chips treated in cold water. The boards were tested for determining the strength and dimensional stability. The product was found to be dimensionally stable after soaking in water. Even though bending strength was found to be low, the tensile strength passed the standard specification. Cement bonded particleboard made with this species can be used where dimensional stability is necessary.
Studies were made to assess the physiological maturity for harvesting the seed of Prosopis juliflora with high germination and vigour. Sufficient number of flowers were tagged at the time of anthesis. The developing pods were collected at weekly intervals, and pod and seed development were studied at each collection. Pod and seed weight increased with the increase of age and reached the maximum at 91 days after anthesis (DAA). In this stage pod colour turned from green to straw yellow. The seed extracted at this stage resulted in maximum seed weight,germination and vigour potential. Since the germination potential andvigour of this species started declining after this stage (91 DAA), the physiological
maturity stage for honey mesquite (P. juliflora) could be fixed at about 91 daysafter anthesis.
Schumannianthus dichotoma (Family-Marantaceae), locally known as patipata, is cultivated in water logged and swampy lands over the
greater part of Bangladesh. Plantations of S. dichotoma are established using rhizomes (Mohiuddin and Rashid 1988, Rashid et al. 1993).
Attempts have been made at Bangladesh Forest Research Institute (BFRI), Chittagong to raise seedlings of this species from fruits which are available free of cost as they have no utility. This paper describes the method of nursery development from collection of fruits to raising of seedlings in polybags.
Keora (Sonneratiaapetala Buch.-Ham.faccourds for almost 95% of the successful mangrove plantations in the coastal areas of Bangladesh (RIMS 1997). In Chittagong coast, it constitutes 22% of the plantations. It is not much commercially valuable species. Moreover, the plantations are severely infested by a beehole borer, Zeuzera conferta (Baksha 1996). Replacement of S. apetala preferably by more valuable species that appear at later stages of succession is needed to ensure sustainability of the plantations. With this in view, underplanting trial in the established S. apetala plantations with different mangrove species was initiated. An interim report (Siddiqi et al. 1992) shows success and suitability of underplanting in western coastline
Physical and mechanical properties, durability and treatability characteristics of
21 timber species have been collated. Enduses of these species have been evaluated.
Based on the various uses, the species have been recommended as priority species for
plantation.
The production of pulp can be substantially increased by addition of anthraquinone
as a catalyst in kraft and soda pulping. However, a greater benefit can be
achieved in soda pulping. In assessing jute fibre as an alternative raw material for
pulping, it shows a promising prospect. The use of neutral sulphite anthraquinone
process can make conifer-like pulp from jute fibre.
Seedlings of Bambusa tidda Roxb. and Dendrocalamus strict us Nees were grown in the
nursery under four different light conditions, viz. sunlight, partial sunlight, shade, and
6 hours photoperiod up to nine months of age. Almost all the seedlings were dead (80 to
90%) under shade and 6-hr grolux electric light photoperiod conditions after 200 -270
days. Survival was highest (80-95%) under both sunlight and partial sunlight condition.
The seedlings were comparatively healthy, green and tall under partial sunlight. Under
these two light conditions seedings started clump formation within three months of age.
The clump formation was delayed and a very few bamboo seedlings formed weak clumps
under shade and 6 hours photoperiod conditons.
The paper describes particleboard making characteristics of three common bamboo species, namely, Banibusa balcooa, Banibusa vulgaris and Melocaiina baccifera grown in Bangladesh. Urea formaldehyde resin was used as the binder. The particleboards from these bamboo species compare almost an equal strength properties with those from wood species.
The shoots of ten bamboo species of Bangladesh have been tested in respect to taste, flavour, texture and colour of the edible parts. The shoot colour and shape of each species were described. The weight of outer cover (sheaths) and internal edible portions of shoots are more or less same in most the ten bamboo species. Only three species, Bambusa polymorpha, Melocantia baccifera and Dendrocalaimis longispathns were found to produce shoots with somewhat slight bitter to sweet taste and pleasant flavour a t raw state. Shoots of the remaining seven species B. banibos, B. Longispicidata, B.vidgaris, B. tidda, D. gigaiiteus, Schizostachyum dullooa, Thyrsostachys oliveri possessed varying degree of bitterness or astringency. Fairly acceptable taste and easy availability of shoots of M. baccifera made the species most common bamboo vegetable for the tribal people of Bangladesh.
In all the species shoots production both by number and weight per clump was found to increase in the second and third year, if continuously harvested. However, the shoot production decreased per clump after third to fifth year if the harvesting continued, and after sixth year of continuous harvest some species even stopped shoot production. Continuous harvesting of bamboo shoots has been discouraged and selective harvesting in every year has been advised.
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