Sweetgum for wood production in the South and Southeastern Brazil

Abstract

Sweetgum is a North and Central American tree species well known for the healing gum since the times of the Aztec civilization. In the southern United States, this is the most widely planted broadleaf species for wood  production. It grows well on a variety of site conditions, including on alluvial soil prone to flooding. As a result  of the wide natural distribution, it shows important variations in phenology and growth traits. The more  northern provenances tend to shut down growth processes much earlier and resume them later than the southern sources. These variations reflect directly on  the growth patterns among seed sources. Experiments  in several sites have demonstrated its potential value for wood production in small wood lots in the South and Southeastern Brazil. The most southern seed sources  (Central American) have proved to be far more  productive than the North Americans; the fastest  growing provenances have shown productivity similar to fast growing eucalypts, in the order of 40 m3/ha.yr. The  ood has multiple use including pulp, railway sleepers, sawn timber, furniture and firewood. It is  especially valued for use in veneer and plywood  industries. However, it must be dealt with cautiously because of its highly invasive nature. In Brazil, it  produces large amounts of seed with great chances to  germinate and to rapidly take over the site. One key  factor for this success is the absence of foraging agents  uch as birds and rodents which coexist in its  natural range. Moreover, this species regenerates vigorously from stumps as well as from adventitious  roots.