Behavior under Artificial Drying of Varieties of Eucalyptus camaldulensis for Use as Solid Wood
Mature Eucalyptus camaldulensis wood has good technological properties and can be used to obtain solid products. Young Eucalyptus camaldulensis wood has different physical and mechanical characteristics than the adult wood, with inadequate response during mechanical transformation. The objective of this work was to determine which varieties behave better under artificial drying, indicating the quality of those woods. The wood for the drying tests consisted of examples from the seven varieties of Eucalyptus camaldulensis (a, b, c, d, e, k, ll). The material was selected based on height, size, diameter at breast height (dbh)), density and sanitary condition. The pieces were cut to obtain boards 100 mm wide x 25 mm thick x 1000 mm long, with each drying load consisting of wood from the 7 varieties. None of the varieties of the young Eucalyptus camaldulensis showed a marked tendency to collapse in any drying program. Varieties b, a, c and ll were superior to e and k in terms of warping, while d and ll better with respect to cracks.