PERFORMANCE OF TEAK IN RESPONSE

TO CLIMATE & SELECTED SOIL

FACTORS

Title:

What you should knowabout Teak…Teak (also known as Tectona grandis):• Is a deciduous hardwood tree indigenous to the dry and

hilly terrains of Indonesia and Southeast Asia• Remains one of the most valuable of all hardwoods and

is known for its beauty, strength, durability and weather-resistant qualities

• Is the leading choice for marine and outdoor furniture applications because the extremely dense wood contains natural oils and rubber content, thereby possessing the greatest capability of any wood to withstand the effects of the harsh outdoor environment

• Can naturally endure the effects of sun, rain and even snow without rotting, warping, cracking, shrinkage or swelling

What you should knowabout Teak…• Will naturally age to a beautiful silver-gray hew over the

years or with a periodic application of natural teak oil will maintain its original color and richness for a lifetime.

• Prices have increased rapidly since 1986.

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What is the Research?• Tropical countries need to protect their forests and also

satisfy their wood requirements.

• Forest plantations that are managed in sustainable manner can be effectively used to supply the demand of timber and related product while protecting the valuable natural forests.

• One of the main issue faced by teak plantation owners are growth differences and there by the timber quality and income variations.

• Therefore the findings of studies can derived in growth variation due to the growth affecting factors can be effectively used in teak plantation management.

Growth affecting factors

Soil

Climate

Physical Factors

Chemical Factors

Rainfall

Temperature

Silvicultural Managemen

t

Water Supply

Fertilizer Applications

Objectives of the study

• Identification of growth difference of teak in two different geographical areas in Sri Lanka.

• Investigation of the impact of climate variation on teak plantation.

• Investigation of the impact of selected soil physical and chemical parameters on growth of teak at young stage.

Justification• One of the biggest challenges towards the outlook of

forests in the recent times has been concerns about ‘sustainability’ of our resources .

• In forestry plantations, there were growth differences and there by the timber quality and income variations.

• Problems are occurs due to miss-management.

• Approaches are required over come such problems.

Methodology

• Kumaragama teak plantation

• Puttalam teak plantation

Site selection

Total area: 85.79 ha

7 years old: 25.29 ha

Total area: 101.98 ha

7 years old: 80.94 ha

Methodology cont.Site comparison

(Department of Meteorology, 2014)

Puttalam Plantation

Kumaragama Plantation

Agro ecological

zoneLow country

dry zone (DL3)Low country

dry zone (DL1)

Annual rainfall (mm) 1696.6 1852.9

Average temperature

(°C)24.4 22.2

Number of dry months (Lower than 1778mm)

7 3

(10m)

(10m)

Methodology cont.

• Plots selection▫ Permanent sample plots will be used for all 7 years.

• Soil sampling▫ Debris and litter-fall will be removed ▫ From plot center up to 45 cm depth▫ Sample will be stored in air-tight plastic containers.

Sampling

(20m)

(20m)

Methodology cont.

• Total tree height measurement

• Diameter at breast height

Tree measurement

Methodology cont.

• Soil chemical factors▫ Total Nitrogen content – kjeldahl method▫ Phosphorus content – Colorimetric method by using

spectrophotometer▫ Potassium & Magnesium – Atomic absorption

spectrophotometer

Soil analysis

Methodology cont.

• Soil physical factors▫ Soil texture – Sieve analysis method▫ Soil Water Holding Capacity ▫ Soil Bulk Density

Soil analysis

Methodology cont.

• Climatic details▫ Daily rainfall and temperature data are collected by

Sadaharitha Plantation Ltd at both selected plantations from 2009

Secondary data

Other information▫ Water supply and fertilizers application details will

be obtained from the Sadaharitha Plantation Ltd

Methodology cont.

• Growth comparison

▫Quantitatively by using statistical analysis ANOVA will be used for the statistical comparison

using MINITAB software

▫Qualitatively by using line graphs

Data analysis

Methodology cont.

• Example; Growth comparison (between plantations)Qualitative Data analysis

Total tree volume /m3

TimeGrowth rate comparison of two plantations

Total tree volume /m3

TimeGrowth rate of plantation 1

Total tree volume /m3

TimeGrowth rate of plantation 2

Factors affecting growth

Methodology cont.

• Example; Growth comparison (within plantation)Qualitative Data analysis cont.

Total tree volume /m3

TimeGrowth rate comparison of plantation

Factors affecting growth

Methodology cont.Quantitative Data analysis

Examples: Minitab Statistical Software will be used to analyze survey data and answer questions that can affect on teak growth.

2-Sample t-TestWe use the 2-sample t-test to compare the averages between two groups and determine if there is a significant difference between them.

ANOVAWill be used to compare group means for multiple variables.

RegressionWill be used to examine or predict how particular continuous variables affect a particular outcome—for example, how teak growth rate correlates with soil conditions.

ReferencesLankathilaka, M. A., & Subasinghe, S. M. C. U. P. (2012, September). Change of nutrient contents of teak seedlings (tectona grandis linn f.) under different compost treatments. In Proceedings of International Forestry and Environment Symposium (Vol. 15).

Nielsen, D. R., Biggar, J. W., & Erh, K. T. (1973). Spatial variability of field-measured soil-water properties. University of California, Division of Agricultural Sciences.

Pandey, D., & Brown, C. (2000). Teak: a global overview. UNASYLVA-FAO-, 3-13.

Randeni, K. R. A. H. A., & Subasinghe, S. M. C. U. P. (2012, March). Establishment of relationships of growth at 7 years old Mahogany trees with selected site factors in low country wet zone, using GIS as a tool. In Proceedings of International Forestry and Environment Symposium (Vol. 14).

Subasinghe, S. M. C. U. P., & Gunarathne, W. P. K. (2012) Construction of a precise growth model to predict the individual tree stem volume for mature Tectona grandis lf (teak).

Thank You