Quality of raw material and yield of exported sawn wood in the rational use of tropical timber from the Amazon

Abstract The low sawn timber yield of tropical species is caused by quality of the logs, among other factors. The objective was to evaluate the quality of logs and the sawn wood yield for export of the tropical species Dinizia excelsa Ducke, Hymenolobium heterocarpum Ducke, Dipteryx odorata (Aubl.) Willd., Astronium lecointei Ducke and Qualea paraensis Ducke. The log quality parameters analyzed were conicity, flattening, curving, buttresses, cracks, heartwood percentage and net volume. After sawing, the sawn wood yield was determined. The values of conicity (0.92 cm.m− 1) and flattening (96%) did not differ between species. Qualea paraensis and Hymenolobium heterocarpum showed a better classification for curving. Astronium lecointei showed no buttresses. Qualea paraensis showed better classification for annular ring cracks and Dipteryx odorata for surface and diametrical cracks. Dipteryx odorata (86.75%) and Hymenolobium heterocarpum (82.4%) showed better results for heartwood percentage. Dinizia excelsa (90.1%), Dipteryx odorata (83.6%) and Hymenolobium heterocarpum (82.6%) logs showed higher net volume values. The yield of sawn timber for export differed between species and ranged from 23.9–40.2% for Dinizia excelsa and Qualea paraensis, respectively. There was variation in the quality of the logs and the yield of sawn timber for export due to the distinctive characteristics of the species evaluated.