Forestry control in the Brazilian Amazon I: wood and charcoal anatomy of three endangered species

Abstract

The Brazilian Amazon is vastly deforested by unsustainable practices. Several species of trees are threatened by extinction and their exact number is hard to quantify. Federal laws prohibit the harvest of endangered forest species. It is a vast challenge to control the illegal trade of wood and especially charcoal in Brazil. The goal of this work is to contribute to an identification database. It presents the anatomy of wood and charcoal of Bertholletia excelsa, Hevea brasiliensis and Swietenia macrophylla. Structural modifications due to carbonization were also studied. One Eucalyptus sp. hybrid was analysed as a comparison with native species. Anatomical features were well preserved in charcoals. Quantitative modifications, such as mass loss, increase of vessel and ray density, and reduction of vessel diameter and ray height, were seen in all species. The native species were easily distinguished from eucalypt in both wood and charcoal, and this study will allow easily sorting these species in cases of illegal trading. Since Amazon conservancy is highly dependent on the knowledge of native species, our results contribute to avoid illegal charcoal trade.