The following points highlight the two famous timber trees found in India. the timber trees are: 1. The Teak 2. The Sal.
Timber Tree # 1. The Teak (Tectona Grandis L.F.):
The teak is a tall tree, deciduous, with channeled quadrangular branches. Leaves are simple, opposite, elliptic or slightly obovate, acute or acuminate at apex, cuneate at base, scabrous above and stellately tomentose beneath, with entire margin, 25-50 cm. long 20-40 cm. broad; peiole 2.5-4 cm. long. Panicles large, terminal, with small bracts.
Flowers small white, hermaphrodite, slightly irregular. Calyx persistent, gamosepalous, 5-6-lobed. much enlarged in fruit. Corolla tubular below, with 5-6 lobes above.
Stamens 5-6 epipetalous, longer than the corolla. Ovary superior, 2-4 celled with 1 ovule in each; style long and slender. Fruit a drupe, sub-globose, somewhat 4-lobed, about 1.2 cm. in diam., enclosed by the expanded calyx. Seeds usually 1-2.
The timber is of an excellent quality. It is fairly hard and very strong and contains an oil that acts as a preservative of the timber. It is durable and takes a high polish. The timber is golden yellow at first but gradually turns dark brown. It is in great demand for cabinet — making, as building material, railway sleepers, ship-building and for various other purposes.
The teak is indigenous to India, Burma, Sri Lanka and the Malaysia. It grows over a wide area in the Peninsular India and planted in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa and W. Bengal Total area under teak forest in India is about 7,285.000 h.a. of which 3,119.000 h.a. being in Madhya Pradesh. It grows as one of the natural components of deciduous forests and there are plantations of teak in different states.
Teak is a fairly quick growing tree. It thrives best in fairly moist and warm climate with a rainfall of not less than 125 cm. a year and a dry season of 3-5 months. It prefers a rich soil, deep and moist and sandy.
It is a great light demander and cannot stand trost. Laterite soil is unsuitable for growing teak and so is water-logged area. Deficiency of Nitrogen in the soil results in stunted growth and Potassium and Calcium deficiency are harmful in the seedling stage.
In India teak regenerates naturally. For plantation purpose seedlings are raised in nurseries. Seeds are sown in April-May with spacing of 1.8 m × 1.8 m or more. Regular weeding is necessary to protect the seedlings from being choked up by the aggressive grasses and other pests.
Seedlings are transplanted when 30 cm. or more long. To get good quality of timber, trees are felled in plantations after 50 years. The rotation period may however be more and up to 80 years. In plantations teak is grown as in a mixed forest with other trees, or as a pure forest.
Besides yielding excellent timber teak provides us with paper pulp and other materials from wood waste. A dye is obtained from the leaves and a fatty oil from the seeds. The flowers are used medicinally. The timber is used for internal consumption and a small quantity is exported to Middle East, Europe, Japan and Australia.
Timber Tree # 2. The Sal (Shorea Robusta Gaertn):
The Sal tree is a tall or medium sized tree, with resinous juice; sub deciduous; bark reddish brown or grey, smooth or longitudinally fissured. Leaves are simple, alternate, ovate-oblong, coriaceous, entire or subrepand, up to 30 cm l long and 18cm. broad; stipules caducous.
Inflorescence a lax axillary or terminal panicle. Flowers regular, hermaphrodite, small and inconspicuous. Calyx 5 – lobed, with a very short tube, adnate to the thalamus; lobes inbricate, persistent. Petals 5; stamens many.
Ovary superior, 3 celled, with 2 ovules in each cell. Fruit nut — like, ovoid, 10-15 mm long and about 10 mm in diam. 1-seeded, enclosed by the persistent calyx, of which 3 outer lobes enlarged into 5-7 cm. long wings. Seed ovoid with fleshy unequal cotyledons; endosperm absent.
The Sal is indigenous to India. There is an unbroken Sal-belt in the Terai region from Ambala in Hariana running straight to the Darrang district of Assam. A patch of Sal forest is also found in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh to the West, while Sal forests are also seen in Garo hills, Nowgong, Kamrup, Khasi and Jaintia hills, Tippera and in Mymensingh district of Bangladesh.
Another large tract of Sal growing area comprises south western part of W. Bengal, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Chota Nagpur and Santal parganas of Bihar. From the foot hills of the Himalayas the Sal climbs up to 1000 mtr. on the outer ranges and occasionally up to 1700 mtr.
Sal is a hardy tree as regards climate. It can stand frost to some extent and grows well in area with a maximum summer temperature of 44-47°C. If the soil is well drained an annual rainfall of about 450 cm. does no harm to Sal.
A moist deep sandy loam with good subsoil drainage appears to be best suited for sal growing, although bouldery or gravelly soils subtend extensive sal forests. An excess of clay in the subsoil produces trees of stunted growth. The tap root sometimes rot in clayey soil. Sal is light demanding but persists in moderate shade.
Sal comes to flower in March-April and fruits ripen in June. The seeds germinate soon after falling. For artificial germination fresh seeds should be collected and sown immediately, as the sal seeds do not keep their viability long.
Line sowing is practiced in the nurseries. Seedlings raised in nurseries are transplanted when 1-3 years old. Seedlings are planted with 1.5 mtr. spacing in between, and thinned out when 3-4 mtr. tall. Sal coppices well and regular coppicing is done where there is much demand for firewood and charcoal.
For timber Sal tree may be felled when 30 years old but usually a tree matures after 50 years, and in a plantation a rotation is practiced at an interval of a period of 80 years. Area under sal forests in India is about 10,083,000 h.a., i.e. about 13.3% of total forests in the country.
Sal is one of the best construction wood. As regards strength and durability it has perhaps no rival, the heart wood being extremely durable. But Sal does not season easily. It dries slowly, splits and warps and develops surface cracks. Sal seasoning is done in logs, under cover and is a slow process.
Timber of Sal is used in various ways. It is in great demand for sleeper wood, poles and posts, beams and rafters, floor-planks, pit props, bridges, dug out cauoes, carriages and wagons, wheels, agricultural implements, tent pegs, liquid storage vats, and also for fuel.
Oleoresin is obtained by tapping the trunk. This is medicinal and is an incense and is used in various other ways. The resin on distillation gives “chua” oil. Seeds are eaten after roasting. Seeds yield a fatty oil which is used for cooking and in lamps.
The cake obtained after the extraction of the oil is used as cattle feed and poultry feed. Sal is a host of Tasar silkworm and a kind of lac-insect. The leaves of sal are made into platters and cups for serving foo4- Sal honey is of a very good quality.