Relation betwee the level and index of biodeterioration of woods from tropical species and their technological properties
natural resistance, wood chemistry, woodcut termites.
Wood is a polymer of great importance to the human population, and can be used for various purposes, however, it can be degraded by abiotic and biotic agents, among the latter, fungi, bacteria and insects are the main biodegrading agents. The biodeterioration of wood is of ecological and economic importance and studies are needed to better understand the effects of this process on different forest species. The objective of the following work was to relate the occurrence and rate of biodeterioration of four different tropical species woods with their chemical, anatomical and physical properties. For this, four species were chosen: Timborana (Pseudopiptadenia suaveolens (Miq.) J.WGRIMES), Yellowwood (Euxylophora paraensis Huber), Palm Tree (Aegiphila integrifolia (Jacq.) Moldenke) and Para-Para (Jacaranda copaia (Aubl. ) D.Don). The characterization of chemical, anatomical properties and density was performed as well as a test of natural resistance. It was verified that the species presented different degradation rate and that the extractives content influenced in this process, so it can be concluded that the differences in the chemical compositions of the species affect the biodeterioration process of the studied species.