Change in oleoresin productivity between harvests and variable drillings of a Copaifera reticulata natural population in the Amazon

ABSTRACT

Background:

Many gaps in the copaifera oleoresin yield remain unfulfilled, preventing the sustainable management of this valuable non-timber forest product. This work aimed to characterize a natural Copaifera reticulata population in the Amazon rainforest, test different positions and depths in the trees to flow oleoresin, and analyze changes in the productiveness between two harvests ten months-spaced. The study was conducted in a Brazilian rainforest area at the Jari Ecological Station (ESEC) in 2017 and 2018, including 26 trees.

Results:

The diametric and height distributions evidenced light-demanding and mostly medium-class-diameter trees. The annual increment (0.45 ± 0.003 cm/year) was average, while the occurrence was rare. The area hosts yielding and unyielding trees, providing an average oleoresin production of 603.60 mL/tree. Oleoresin only flowed by reaching the inner heartwood or the pith. Oleoresin was not fully replenished after ten months, but the first drilling stimulated some unyielding trees to deliver it later. Collecting should focus on medium-diameter trees.

Conclusion:

The growth and distribution behaviors may challenge Copaifera’s sustainable management, which depends on the individual tree mechanisms to provide and replenish the oleoresin.

Keywords:
Class diameter; heartwood; intercellular channels; non-timber forest product; rare species.

HIGHLIGHTS

A Copaifera reticulata population behavior challenges oleoresin production in Amazon. The trees only flow oleoresin when drilled between 3/4 of the radius and the pith. Medium-class-diameter trees are the targets for oleoresin harvesting. Drilling may turn unproductive trees into productive ones after ten months.