<S1-10> Wood density and water content in diverse species from lowland dipterocarp rainforest and dry dipterocarp forest

Abstract

We compared the wood density and water content of various tree species in lowland dipterocarp rainforest in Sarawak and dry dipterocarp forest in Cambodia. We collected wood core samples of 134 species from Lambir National Park, Sarawak and those of 44 species from Kratie Province, Cambodia. Sarawak (0.64 g cm-3) and Cambodia (0.64 g cm-3) did not differ in average wood density. In contrast, wood water content in Cambodia (0.42 g cm-3) showed significantly larger values than that in Sarawak (0.35 g cm-3). There was a negative correlation between wood density and water content in Cambodian trees, while the relation was not significant for Sarawak trees. The higher water content in Cambodian trees may indicate the greater importance of stem water storage under the drier environment in dry dipterocarp forest than in lowland dipterocarp rainforest.