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INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Volume 8 Issue 4
October 2015
Editorial
In this issue, we bring you an interesting article on
“Teak plantation establishment and management for better yield: A case study from Uganda”. The article offers general silvicultural guidelines that
might be of interest to growers and plantation
managers and can be replicated in other countries
in similar site conditions. Another report this time
from Latin America, deals with soil fertility
characteristics of Central American teak growing
countries. A detailed soil profile had been
prepared, the abstract of which is given in this
issue. It is a good source of reference material for
those interested to raise teak plantations in that
region. Recently, ITTO published the Biennial
Review and Assessment of the World Timber Situ-
ation 2013-2014 with focus on tropical timber pro-
duction and trade. The Review and Assessment of
the World Timber Situation which was published
annually until 2013 is now brought out biennially.
As usual, information on teak prices in inter-
national market is also provided in the Bulletin.
We look forward to receiving articles of interest to
teak growers, traders and researchers to be
shared among the teak community.
With warm regards
P.K. Thulasidas
TEAKNET Coordinator
1 6 6 7
Management of Teak Plantations for Better Yield: An
African Experience
ITTO- Biennial Review and Assessment of the
World Timber Situation 2013-2014
Soil fertility characterisation of teak (Tectona grandis
L.f.) plantations in Central America
Prices of Plantation Teak Imported to India
Management of Teak Plantations for Better Yield:
An African Experience
Nelly Grace Bedijo & Walter Mapanda
The Sawlog Production Grant Scheme (SPGS) Plot 92 Luthuli Avenue, Bugolobi
P.O. Box 5244, Kampala, Uganda
Email: [email protected]
Teak is a valuable hardwood with excellent wood properties such
as beauty, strength, durability and hardness; used in a variety of
applications and stands a chance of becoming the world’s most preferred plantation species! According to FAO reports, in the past
10 years (2005-2014) there has been a significant rise in the
global trade of teak roundwood volume, which was above 1 million
m3 on average per year; which is about 3% of the value of global
timber trade (Walter Kollert and Przemyslaw Jan Walotek, 2015).
As the supply of natural old-growth teak into the world timber
market from Asian countries has been drastically reduced;
plantation teak from shorter rotations finds it way to meet the
rising demand for teak. Myanmar- the world’s sole supplier of natural teak imposed a ban on export of unprocessed logs and
implemented forest trade reforms since April 2014. India and
Thailand too have export ban and taken measures to protect their
natural teak resources much earlier.
Teak plantations are increasing in area across the globe, for
example, countries in Africa, South America, Asia and the Pacific.
To date, close to 4.346 million ha of teak plantations have been
reported in the world, which is significant but given the continuous
limitation in supply of natural teak, more plantations will definitely
be required to meet the growing demand for teak! The positive
side of plantations is the fact that growth can be manipulated and
therefore a shorter rotation of 15 - 25 years for the teak became a
reality. To realize this fast growth and high yields from
plantations, requires dedicated effort. Emphasis should be on use
of improved planting stock, and in addition, timely implementation
of appropriate silvicultural treatments. Teak is a pioneer species,
it does not tolerate competition and it is also a very site specific
species, and will perform to full potential only if planted on the
correct site. This article gives highlights of key silvicultural
operations recommended for teak plantations, which growers
ought to implement for better yields from their investments.
Teaknet Bulletin 8(4):2015 Page 2 of 7
Site selection: Before planting teak, site selection is a requirement to ascertain the suitability of a given site for
teak. This is because teak is very site specific compared to other plantation species and will only thrive if planted on
the correct site. With teak, a slight variation in the growth conditions can result in a huge variation in
performance of trees. Site selection involves a detailed analysis of the site factors to ascertain sections of the land
that have conditions that enable teak to grow in terms of physical and chemical soil properties and climatic factors
(mainly rainfall and temperatures). A thorough site selection exercise should be conducted by persons
knowledgeable on this subject matter and teak growers should be willing to pay for this service given it determines
success or failure of teak plantations. Teak plantations should be limited to site classes I and II for a profitable
investment, where class I is highly suitable and class II, suitable.
Pre-plant operations (land preparation, lining out, and pitting): Teak does not tolerate competition. Sites to be
planted should be thoroughly cleaned. Land preparation should involve bush clearing and burning (a cool burn!) to
reduce the level of the fuel load within the site. This must be followed by a full cover chemical spray with
glyphosate. Depending on the scale of planting, lining out and pitting should start well in advance to ensure the site
is ready for planting before the onset of rains. A spacing of 3 m by 3 m (stand density of 1111 trees) is ideal since it
provides a good balance between establishment and weeding costs. Besides, the high initial stocking of 1111 trees
allows for early mortality and provides a chance for selection of trees to remain during thinning operations. Closer
spacing (for instance 2.7 m by 2.7 m) increases establishment cost (more seedlings per hectare) while a wider
spacing can be adopted where no thinning or few thinning operations are to be conducted and where planting
material is of good quality (i.e. when planting clones or improved seed.). In countries like India, closer spacing of
2 x 2 m with an initial planting density of 2500 tress/ha is the usual practice.
Quality pits (25 cm long by 25cm wide by 25 cm deep) will allow seedlings to establish a proper rooting system that
ensures survival during the first dry season. During pitting soils should be loosened (break all soil clods). Pits can
be left open if planting is closely following and filled back with soils if planting is to be delayed. Leaving the pits
open for a long time hardens the walls and retards root extension. Pitting can be combined with the first circle/ring
weeding.
Planting operation: Planting of seedlings or stumps can be done once rains have fallen for some time (close to
100 mm have been received in an area). Planted seedlings should be firmed to avoid air pockets forming around
roots which may led to wilting of the plants. Container
grown seedlings must be between 5 to 20 cm tall from
the root collar to the tip of the seedling, at planting time.
Stumps should be planted in an upright position (shoot
system above ground and the root system into the soil).
On sites that are dry or where there is termite problem,
stumps can be planted flush to the ground or completely
underground (1-2 cm deep). Stumps for plantation
establishment should be prepared from 6 - 9 months old
seedlings; very young and fragile stumps may not
establish well when planted out in the field. Stumps to
be planted should be graded to ensure uniformity within
the stands. In circumstances where there is a need to
start planting early (where rains are erratic) use of water
absorbent gel (Aquafix, Stokosorb or Aquasoil) can be
explored to stretch the planting window. Stumps planted flush to the ground or completely underground
Teaknet Bulletin 8(4):2015 Page 3 of 7
Beating up operation (sometimes referred to as blanking and or gap filling) should be carried out within the same
rainy season. Teak is a fast growing species in the initial 10-15 years and to maintain a uniform stand, beating up
should be undertaken 2-4 weeks after planting. During procurement of seedlings, an extra 20% should be reserved
for this operation. Beating up is recommended at 60 - 80% survival. At percentages lower than this range, a replant
is recommended. A teak stand should be well stocked (90% survival rate) to give an opportunity for a good
selection during thinning.
Singling: This is a very important operation in stands established using stumps (vegetative propagation). Teak has
the ability to coppice; thus from a single stump many shoots sprout. It is important to carry out singling early
enough (as soon as it is possible to identify the shoots, < 2 cm). When shoot development is intercepted at an early
stage (bud stage), chances for shoots to grow back again is largely reduced. Besides, it is quite easy and cheap to
remove them at this stage. Delaying singling results in the development of a meandering pith, (the pith appearing
on the surface of sawn timber) which later lowers the quality grade of timber. In addition, delaying singling out will
necessitate cutting of shoots with machetes or axes since the shoots will be big then.
Weeding: Teak does not like competition; competition from weeds or any other species will impact negatively on its
growth – being a pioneer species. Managing weeds therefore presents a big challenge to teak growers; the rule of
thumb is 100% clean weeding till site capture. This can be through a combination of chemical and manual weeding
operations. The frequency and intensity is dependent on the type and rate of growth of weeds. In older stands, fuel
reduction (burn, slash or both) should be undertaken to minimize damage to stems in the event of wild fires.
Pruning: Pruning is a quality operation done to limit the knotty
core to 10 cm diameter. The best approach to pruning in teak is
pruning from a diameter of 10 cm, which gives room for the
wound healing process by callus formation. To avoid diameter
growth to incorporate big branches, timely pruning should be
adhered to.
Pruning in teak plantations is more intense compared to other
plantation species; in addition to pruning normal branches,
epicormic shoots from pruned areas should also be attended to as
well. Teak when under stress develops epicormic shoots as well,
which develop into branches if not pruned. A hand pruning
operation is a cost effective method of dealing with epicormic
shoots; this involves nipping off the epicormic shoots by hand, at
bud stage.
Pruning operation
Emergence of multiple shoots from teak stumps Singling
Teaknet Bulletin 8(4):2015 Page 4 of 7
Pruning in teak must be repeated several times in the early stages of growth, clearing 1.5 to 2 cm of the stem at a
time. The table below shows the pruning regime for teak plantations. Under an intensive pruning regime, a teak
tree at a rotation of 20 years may yield over 60% of the tree volume as merchantable wood, of which over 40% is
knot-free volume when pruned up to 6 meters.
Teak pruning regime
Thinning: Thinning operation is done to manipulate growth, to ensure that huge volumes are achieved within the
shortest possible time. Trees within a stand interact and compete with each other and as time progresses, this
competition soon turns negative. It’s important to identify when negative competition is about to set in and carry
out timely thinning. This is because teak unlike other plantation species, does not respond well to late thinning.
Competition between trees can be measured using basal area i.e. competition can be quantified. Competition
usually sets in at basal area above 20 m2/ha. A thinning operation, should bring down this basal area to about 13
m2/ha, to create enough room for growth. In addition to the basal area, other parameters can be used to check the
readiness for thinning, for example interlocking of adjacent crowns- too small crowns and absence of light within
the compartment (too much shed in the compartment.)
All forking trees, and trees with poorly developed crowns and stems (fluting, buttressing, spiral grains, excessively
tapered and scarred stems) should be removed during thinning. Sometimes even good trees have to be removed to
create more space for growth. A combination of thinning for space and thinning for quality is recommended. A
thinning operation should leave the compartment with evenly distributed trees and small openings in the canopy
which will quickly be closed before 3 years.
Pruning intensity Removal of Branches Removal of epicormic shoots soon after
removal of branches
Pruning level 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th
Pruning cycle (yrs) 2 3 4 5 6 7 2 3 4 5 6 7
Pruning height (m) 1.5 3 4.5 6 7.5 9 1.5 3 4.5 6 7.5 9
Branch scar healed by callus formation
Some teak trees produce heavy branches, however, there are
provenances which are not heavily branched which may
reduce pruning requirements. During a pruning operation, all
pruned branches should be moved six (6) meters inside the
plantation and any cut branches/debris around the trees
should be removed to protect trees from fires. Branches
pruned should be cut close to the stem bole and the cuts
should be clean to avoid stem damage which could be entry
points for pathogens. Pruning is advisable during the active
growing season so that the wound will be healed quickly and
avoided during the rainy season to prevent fungal infestation.
Teaknet Bulletin 8(4):2015 Page 5 of 7
Thinning regime for teak
After the trees are marked for thinning, a thinning control exercise is required. This is done to check the quality of
marking undertaken (to correct for under thinning or over thinning!). The thinning control exercise should be done
by an independent team. Teak is such a valued timber, often markets for even the small diameter material acquired
from thinning is readily available.
Coppicing: Coppice management can be taken as a way of reducing planting costs if the stocking is good and if
improved planting material was used at the initial planting. Where a decision has been made on coppice manage-
ment, use of chemicals to kill stumps should be avoided, to maintain the stumps alive for the next rotation. Big and
lower stumps (< 20 cm height) give healthier and well attached shoots.
Protection and management: Teak is resistant to fires but not fire proof. Frequent fires and or very hot fires will
affect the growth and quality of trees immensely. Forest fire management should be planned for, with a clear
strategy for monitoring and suppression. It is important to have appropriate structures, equipment/ tools, fire
towers, roads and teams for firefighting in place. Teak plantations are also very susceptible to soil erosion and
therefore plantations should be developed on undulating and relatively flat sites, any slopes greater than 12o should
be avoided for planting.
Thinning lev-
el
Age
(Years)
Dominant
Height (m)
Basal area (m2/ha)
before thinning
Basal area (m2/ha)
after thinning
Height
class
Final stand
density (s/ha)
1st thinning 3
4
8
7 to 8
7 to 8
7 to 8
20 to 22 13 to 15 Class I
Class II
Class III
650
2nd thinning 9
10
12
14 to 15
14 to 15
14 to 15
20 to 22 13 to 15 Class I
Class II
Class III
400
3rd thinning 16 20 to 21 20 to 22 13 to 15 Class 1 200 to 250
Harvesting 24 23 - 24 22 Class 1 Clear felling
Growers are advised to read relevant publications for further details on recommended teak plantation management practices, notably the Teak
Silvicultural Guidelines; electronic copies available at www.sawlog.ug
Undergrowth in teak plantation during dry months SPGS teak plantation
Teaknet Bulletin 8(4):2015 Page 6 of 7
Soil fertility characterisation of teak (Tectona grandis L.f.)
plantations in Central America
Jesús Fernández-Moya, Alfredo Alvarado, Rafael Mata, Helga Thiele, Jose Manuel Segura, Ed-
win Vaides, Alfonso San Miguel-Ayanz and Miguel Marchamalo-Sacristán
Teak (Tectona grandis L.f.) is an important species in the worldwide quality tropical hardwood sector, which has
gained significance in Central America since the first large plantations were established in the 1980s. The present
work is a descriptive study that aims to: (1) analyse and characterise the general soil patterns which may be
influencing teak plantations in Central America; (2) assess differences between countries and sub-regions; (3)
create a global framework to help contextualise the soil fertility analyses conducted at sub-regional or farm level,
and (4) determine the main problems associated with soil fertility in the region. Soil fertility was measured at 684
sites in Costa Rica, Guatemala and Panama. Although teak is considered to be a species with high soil nutrient
requirements, and high fertility is usually assumed in teak plantations, the results show that this species has been
planted in a wide variety of soils, including many with serious fertility problems (e.g. Ultisols and perhaps Oxisols)
or with added difficulties due to their physical properties (e.g. Vertisols). The present analysis reveals a general K
deficiency in the Central American teak plantations, where P deficiency and acidity toxicity are also relatively
common problems. These soil fertility problems probably stem from poor site selection by forest managers in the
80s and 90s. Hence, although soil fertility is carefully evaluated when most teak plantations are established today,
managers have to deal with soil fertility deficiencies in many sites where teak was established some years ago.
To know more about this paper you can visit the below link Read More
ITTO- Biennial Review and Assessment of the World Timber Situation 2013-2014
ITTO has published the Biennial Review and Assessment of the World Timber Sit-
uation 2013-2014, providing the most up-to-date and reliable international sta-
tistics available on global production and trade of timber, with an emphasis on
the tropics. It also provides information on trends in forest area, forest manage-
ment and the economies of ITTO member countries.
This Review reports on developments in the global timber sector and wood
markets, with a focus on tropical timber, in 2014. It contains data on production
and trade for 2010- 2014 although the year 2013 is used as the base for all glob-
al comparisons and ITTO summary totals. This is the latest year for which rea-
sonably reliable data for most countries were available at the time of
preparation.
To know more about this report, visit the below link Read More
New Releases
Teaknet Bulletin 8(4):2015 Page 7 of 7
Prices of Plantation Teak Imported to India
Courtesy: ITTO TTM Report : - September
Editorial Committee
Dr. P.K. Thulasidas
Dr. Mammen Chundamannil
Dr. E. M. Muralidharan and
Dr. S. Sandeep
Teaknet Bulletin is a quarterly electronic newsletter of TEAKNET brought out through its website. It is intended for
circulation among the members of TEAKNET and other stakeholders of global teak sector. The views expressed in
the newsletter are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organization. The readers are
welcome to express their opinions or pass on information of value to teak growers, traders, researchers or others
concerned with teak. However, TEAKNET reserves the right to choose the contributions for publishing and also to
make necessary editorial modifications in the articles in consultation with the authors.
Address all communications to:
TEAKNET Coordinator
Kerala Forest Research Institute
Peechi-680 653, Thrissur, Kerala, India
Tel: +91 487 2690396
Fax: +91 487 2690111
Email: [email protected]
Country of Origin
Logs US$ per cu.m C&F
Angola 459-574
Belize 350-400
Benin 285-775
Brazil 375-724
Cameroon 401-510
Colombia 262-796
Congo 451-710
Costa Rica 320-780
Côte d'Ivoire 277-552
El-Salvador 345-934
Ghana 255-757
Guatemala 360-655
Guyana 300-450
Kenya 515-600
Laos 300-605
Liberia 265-460
Malaysia 323-516
Nicaragua 350-596
Panama 253-630
PNG 443-575
Sawn wood / Squares
Benin sawn 530-872
Brazil squares 370-680
Ecuador squares 313-858
Nigeria squares 367-418
Variations are based on quality, lengths of logs
and the average girth.