Assessing the potential utilization of super teak for furniture, flooring, veneer, pulp paper and wood pellets.

Super teak is a fast grown species of teak (Tectona grandis Linn. f) derived from several clones. This has facilitated plantation rotations as short as 5 years. The main target of conventional plantation teak was initially for high value logs. Young teak wood from plantation forest usually has a small diameter. Moreover, the wood from very young stems is unsuitable for direct utilization, but advance wood processing technology can improve the wood properties of small diameter logs. This study aimed to assess the potential utilization of young super teak for high quality products namely furniture, flooring, and veneer, and assess the possibility of the use of manufacture waste for pulp paper and wood pellets as side products. The evaluation were carried out according to the National Indonesian Standard and other international standard requirements. 18 logs from wet (Bogor) and dry (Magetan) sites representing large, medium, and small diameter classes were collected. According to SNI 01-0608-1989 Timber for Furniture, 5-year-old super teak was suitable for furniture production. Furthermore, according to SNI 7732.1: 2011: Teak Veneer, the super teak was classified as Grade C because of the presence of sapwood, pinholes, tight and lose knots. According to Australian Timber Flooring Association, 5-year-old super teak was classifiesd as soft flooring group, the same group as mature teak & radiata pine. The young super teak was classified as Class Quality/Group II with very low active alkali consumption and low Kappa Number according to Indonesian wood fibre criteria for pulp and paper materials and Association of Pulp and Paper in Brazil. Finally, based on SNI 802: 2014 Wood Pellet, the super teak was recommended as by-products for utilising the wood waste. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]