Prioria copaifera

Cativo

Family: Leguminosae

Other Common Names: Amansamujer, Copachu (Colombia), Camibar (Costa Rica), Muramo, Curucai (Venezuela).

Distribution: Lowland areas from Nicaragua to Colombia, often in nearly pure stands.

The Tree: Heights are usually 75 to 100 ft with clear boles of 40 to 50 ft; commonly range from 18 to 40 in. in diameter with occasional specimens reaching 48 to 60 in.

The Wood:

General Characteristics: Heartwood medium to light brown, often attractively streaked; sharply demarcated from the thick sapwood which is pinkish to white when fresh becoming dingy on the surface because of oily exudations. Texture rather fine and uniform; straight grained; superficially dull but with golden luster beneath; without distinctive odor or taste.

Weight: Basic specific gravity (ovendry weight/green volume) 0.40; air-dry density 30 pcf.

Mechanical Properties: (2-in. standard)

Moisture content Bending strength Modulus of elasticity Maximum crushing strength

(%) (Psi) (1,000 psi) (Psi)

Green (73) 5,920 940 2,460

12% 8,560 1,110 4,290

12% (44) 8,900 1,180 NA

Janka side hardness 440 lb for green material and 630 lb at 12% moisture content. Forest Products Laboratory toughness average for green and dry material is 88 in.-lb. (5/8-in. specimen).

Drying and Shrinkage: Wood dries rapidly with no checking and only slight warping. Collapse is reported to occur sometimes in the darker streaks in the heartwood, particularly during kiln-drying. Kiln schedule T3-C2 is suggested for 4/4 stock and T3-C1 for 8/4. Control of gum exudates by use of high kiln temperatures is reported. Shrinkage green to ovendry: radial 2.4%; tangential 5.3%; volumetric 8.9%.

Working Properties: Tends to be woolly when sawed green; wood machines well in all operations when dry, mostly with smooth surfaces, sometimes with a slight tendency fuzziness. Easy to glue. Requires care in finishing because of gum content. Fair to good in steam-bending quality.

Durability: Generally rated as nondurable, particularly in resistance to white rot.

Preservation: The wood is reported to be easy to preserve.

Uses: Interior trim, furniture and cabinet work, joinery, veneer and plywood, millwork; used to prepare resin-stabilized veneer for pattern stock.

Additional Reading: (37), (44), (56), (73)

M 150 282-3Logs are delivered to a sawmill in southern Nigeria. African mahogany

(mostly Khaya ivorensis) is in high demand on overseas markets. Export of logs fro

this region, as well as from most other tropical areas, is being restricted.

M 150 282-2Band mills in Ghana are designed to handle logs 5 feet and more in

diameter. Obeche or Wawa (Triplochiton scleroxylon) logs yield lumber favored for

joinery and millwork.

M 150 273-14In many areas of the tropics, fast-growing species are being introduced

future supplies of fuel wood and industrial wood. Batai (Albizia falcataria) is

a favored plantation species in the Philipines.

M 150 273-13 Shores spp. is still the major timber group harvested in Southeast

Asia. With modern chain saws, fellers no longer need scaffolding to get above larg

buttresses.

M 150 281 Felling of white lauan or almon (Shorea a;mon) with axes in the early

1900s in the Philippines. Most hardwood plywood now imported into the USA is

produced from species of Shorea.

[M 150 273-9Plywood mill in San Jose, Costa Rica, produces rotary-cut veneers mostly from banak (Virola spp.) and crabwood or cedro macho (Carapa guianensis). Logs trucked in from the Caribbean coast.]

M 150 273-21Mahot or Tauary (Couratari spp.) grows from Panama south to the Brazilian Amazon. Trunk diameters may exceed 4 feet above the stout buttresses. In tropical American moist forests, single species usually make up less than 5 percent of the stand volume.

M 150 273-18Trees in the tropics yield not only wood but a wide array of gums, oil

resins, tannins, edible fruits, medicinals, latex, fodder, and much more. The para

rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) at the end of its tapping life is used to produce

attractive wood suitable for furniture components.

M 150 272-14Some European markets still prefer hand hewn greenheart (Ocotea rodiaei

for heavy marine construction. Work is being done on a river landing in Guyana.

M 150 272-15 In the highlands of El Salvador, ocote pine (Pinus ococarpa) is cut in

boards by pit sawing. Finished lumber is sent down the mountainside on the backs o

unattended burros.

M 150 272-15In the highlands of El Salvador, ocote pine (Pinus oocarpa) is cut into

boards by pit sawing. Finished lumber is sent down the mountainside on the backs o

unattended burros.