Effects of morphological and environmental variation on the probability of Copaifera paupera oleoresin production

Abstract

This study evaluated the morphological variation (total and commercial height, and diameter at 1.3 m above ground level - DBH) and environmental variables (slope, distance to water bodies, solar orientation, termites, tree damage and elevation) which influence production of oleoresin by Copaifera paupera (Herzog) Dwyer in southwestern Amazon. The present study was conducted at the experimental forest of Embrapa Acre, Rio Branco, Acre State, Brazil. Forty-seven trees with DBH ≥ 40 cm were mapped, of which 21.3% produced oleoresin immediately after being drilled and 53.2% produced oleoresin after 5 to 7 days, totaling 74.5% productive trees. The site slope was the only variable that significantly influenced oleoresin production; the greater the slope, the greater the probability the tree produced oleoresin. The results showed that trees growing in areas with a slope ≥ 10% had 100% probability of producing oleoresin, which can be explained by the tension wood produced in trees growing on slopes and supports the popular belief that Copaifera should be drilled on the side of the tree with the largest angle of inclination between the trunk and ground level.