Dimensional Relations and Physical Properties of Wood of Acacia saligna, an Invasive Tree species growing in Botswana

Abstract

A study was carried out to evaluate wood physical properties of Acacia saligna, an invasive alien species that has naturalized in Botswana. Wood samples were collected from three different trees at three different heights to study the properties. The trees showed relative change in diameter, density, moisture content and bark thickness. This study revealed that there was a significant change in diameter, bark thickness, proportion of the heartwood and no significant differences in wood basic density at different heights. The density of wood was average at 637 kg m-3. Moisture content was highest in samples collected from the top end of the stem with no significant differences between the base and the mid-height. The average moisture content of wood was 45.1%. The results showed a strong relationship between tree diameter (r2 = 0.9964) and bark thickness (r2 = 0.9974) at three different heights in the tree stem.