| CONCLUSIONS
As the sustainable supply of teak from natural forests (now
almost exclusively from Myanmar) diminishes and the demand
continues to increase, the general trend in the future of
teak growing will be towards increasing production and utilization
of plantation-grown teak. This suggests a need for more private
investment in plantations and enhanced knowledge regarding
diverse aspects of teak plantation establishment as well as
silviculture, management, utilization and ecological aspects
of both plantations and natural stands. In particular in the
move towards short-rotation plantation-grown teak. Research
is being done on the effects of pruning on growth and wood
quality, the effects on the site, of growing teak in mixed
plantations (where experiments established in the past might
be re-evaluated) and the environmental impacts and sustainability
of productivity of short-rotation plantations, including the
differences in yield or timber properties from second or subsequent
rotations.
Several countries are interested in improving financial returns
from teak plantations through utilization of thinnings and
small round-wood. To this end studies are being conducted
on conversion techniques for small round-wood, techniques
for reconstituting small sawn wood as larger material, and
market opportunities for small-dimension timber or components.
The increasing importance of plantations in teak production
suggests varying prospects for other valuable hardwood species
in terms of future commercial timber production. Species that
adapt readily to plantation management, such as mahogany,
should continue to be important sources of high-quality timber.
Those that are less ecologically robust or that perform poorly
under intensive management regimes are likely to be marginalized
as commercial wood producing species. Thus, in the long term,
it is likely that a handful of tropical hardwoods, including
teak and mahogany, will occupy niches at the high end of solid
wood markets, while the range of competing species is likely
to be significantly reduced.
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