Fuel
wood properties of some oak tree species of Manipur, India
Shougrakpam Bijen
Meetei1, E.J. Singh2* and Ashesh Kumar Das1
1Department of
Ecology and Environmental Science, Assam University, Silchar-788 011, India
2Department of
Botany, D.M. (P.G) College of Science, Imphal-795 001, India
*Corresponding
Author?s E-mail: jaduelangbam@gmail.com
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Publication
Data
Paper received:
21 February 2014
Revised received:
19 August 2014
Accepted:
21 November 2014
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Abstract
Five
indigenous oak tree species i.e., Castanopsis indica (Roxb. ex Lindl.)
A.DC., Lithocarpus fenestratus (Roxb.) Rehder, Lithocarpus
pachyphyllus (Kurz) Rehder, Lithocarpus polystachyus (Wall. ex
A.DC.) Rehder and Quercus serrata Murray were estimated for
their wood properties such as calorific value, density, moisture content and
ash content from a sub-tropical forest of Haraothel hill, Senapati District,
Manipur. Wood biomass components were found to have higher calorific value
(kJ g-1) than bark components. The calorific values for tree
species were found highest in L. pachyphyllus (17.99 kJ g-1)
followed by C. indica (17.98 kJ g-1), L. fenestratus
(17.96 kJ g-1), L. polystachyus (17.80 kJ g-1)
and Q. serrata (17.49 kJ g-1). Calorific values for bole
bark, bole wood and branch bark were found significantly different (F >
3.48 at p = 0.05) in five oak tree species. Percentage of ash on dry weight
basis was found to be highest in Q. serrata (4.73%) and lowest in C.
indica (2.19%). Ash content of tree components gives a singnificant
factor in determining fuelwood value index (FVI). Of all the five oak tree
species, Q. serrata exhibited highest value of wood density (0.78 g cm-3)
and lowest was observed in C. indica (0.63 g cm-3). There
was significant correlation between wood density (p<0.05), ash content
(p<0.01) with calorific value in oak tree species. Fuelwood value index
(FVI) was in the following order: C. indica (1109.70) > L.
pachyphyllus (898.41) > L. polystachyus (879.02) > L.
fenestratus (824.61) > Q. serrata (792.50). Thus, the present study
suggests that C. indica may be considered as a fuelwood oak tree species in
Manipur. ?
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Key
words
Calorific
value, Fuelwood value index, Oak species, Manipur
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