THE PERCENTAGE UTILISATION OF FELLED MAHOGANY TREES IN THE CHIMANES FOREST, BENI, BOLIVIA*

Abstract

The percentage utilisation of mahogany trees (Swietenia macrophylla King) felled by timber companies was measured in the Chimanes Forest, Beni, Bolivia. Timber companies only extract the main trunk. The volume of branch segments was measured in 22 mahogany crowns, for trees ranging in size from 0.68 to 1.72 m in diameter. Quantities of residual branch wood ranged from 0.85 m³ for the smallest trees up to 16.3 m9 for one of the largest trees. This wood formed from 9.5-50.8% of the total tree volume (branch wood plus main trunk), the percentage increasing significantly with tree diameter. The median volume of individual branch segments ranged from 0.05 to 0.33 m³, and also increased significantly with tree diameter. The average diameter of mahogany trees in the study site was 1.292 m. A tree this size yields 14.48 m9 of wood in the main log, and has 8.44 m³ of branch wood remaining in the crown (36.8 % of total tree volume). Exploitation of branch wood offers an important opportunity to increase the financial returns from logging without felling additional trees. The utilisation of branch wood may be a particularly appropriate activity for indigenous and community groups which could exploit this resource with small scale processing technology.