Basic wood density tree species of Cerradão physiognomy in the state of Tocantins

Abstract

The aim of this study was to analyze the basic density of tree species of Cerradão phytophysiognomy in Cerrado domain in the state of Tocantins, and establish the relationship between the wood basic density of stems and branches. Samples of 80 trees were collected from stems (base, middle and top) and branches (thick branch, medium branch, and twig). The species had an average 0,650 g cm^-3 of wood basic density. The basic density for most species (58%) decreased from the bottom to the top of the stem. The basic wood density between axial positions of the stem and the basic density of branches with different diameters showed significant relationship. According to proposed models to estimate stem density using branches density, the medium branch density showed the best adjust in the equation. The developed equations are adequate to estimate biomass and carbon stock of trees from Cerradão physiognomy, without destructive sampling.