Vol. 11, Special Issue 1 (2022)

Author(s):
Riddhi H Patel, Satish K Sinha, Dileswar Nayak and Ankita K Patel

Abstract:
Ailanthus excelsa Roxb. commonly known as Ardu or tree of heaven is a fast-growing large deciduous tree mainly used as a timber in different end uses. In the present study, total 25 trees were selected from one to five years of Ardu plantations established at Natural Resource Management Farm of Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari to evaluate the effect of age on the tree growth and physical properties of wood. A significant variation was recorded among one to five years old Ardu trees for growth parameters such as GBH (19.40 to 39.28 cm) and tree height (2.52 to 9.00 m); however, bark and wood content were found to be non-significant among five age gradations. Growth pattern of Ardu showed an increasing trend with tree age. Physical properties such as basic density (0.200 to 0.292 g/cm³) and moisture content (249.49 to 403.53%) varied significantly with tree age and showed inverse relationship with each other. It is concluded that the wood of A. excelsa at four or beyond four years of rotations are suitable for various end uses.