7 ° INFORMATION LEAFLET FOREIGN WOODS Oorest Products Laboratory, _1\i1: orest Service U§.aepartment of Agriculture 1954

TOON, BURMA CEDAR, MOULMEIN CEDAR, THITKADO toona Roxb.; Cedrela serrata Royle: and AUSTRALIAN RED CEDAR Cedrela toona Roxb. var. australis C. DC. Family:

By JEANNETTE M. KRYN, Forest Products Technologist Division of Silvicultural Relations

Introduction

More than 40 species of Cedrela have been described. Most of the species are native to the western hemisphere and occur in every region. south of the United States except Chile. Spanish cedar (mostly Cedrela odorata L. or C. mexicana Roem. ) is the best known of this groTiiTT-- The remaining species are found in southern Asia and in Australia. Some botanists have included all of the of the eastern hemisphere in a separate , Toona. Since the separation of the species is based only on a slight variation of the seed, however, many authors prefer the name Cedrela for all forms (12, 15, 21, 22).1 The best known of the eastern species are toon or Moulmein Cedar (Cedrela toona Roxb. and C. serrata Royle) of and Burma, kalantas (Cedrela calantas (Merr. & Rolfe) Burkill) of the Philippines, and red cedar (Cedrela toona Roxb. var. australia C. DC.) of Australia. _Maintained at Madison, Wis. , in cooperation with the University of Wisconsin. -Forest Products Laboratory Information Leaflet, Report No. R1948, has been issued. -Underlined numbers in parentheses refer to the list of numbered references at the end of the article. Report. 1970 No-1- Agriculture-Madison Distribution and Habitat

Cedrela serrata is found in the western Himalayas and Ceylon at an elevation of from 4, 000 to 8, 000 feet. Cedrela toona occurs at lower elevations in India and Burma, predominantly in the northern parts, and in much of the western Pacific area. A variety, C. toona var. australis C. DC. , is native to northeastern Australia and is widely distributed in Papua and New Guinea (9, 11, 21, 26).

Other Common Names (6, 7, 14, 25)

Cedrela serrata

Hill Toon -- (Trade) Taungdama — (Burma) Drawa (Punjab) Darlu, Darli (N. India)

Cedrela toona

Yom Hom (Thailand) Yedama (Upper Burma)

Cedrela toona var. australis

Red Cedar -- (Australia) Epi -- (Papua and New Guinea) Kapere (Papua and New Guinea) Mufus -- (Papua and New Guinea)

The Tree

Cedrela serrata is a tree of medium size, with a fairly straight trunk up to 20 inches in diameter. The bole may be 20 feet long (21). Cedrela toona is a large tree that may reach a diameter of 5 feet with a stem measuring 30 to 40 feet to the first branch, and with a clear bole that may reach 80 feet (11, 21, 25). Trees are sometimes buttressed (2, 6, 11, 26).

The flowers of Cedrela toona yield a yellow dye used for coloring silks (30).

Report No. 1970 -2-

The Wood

Color

The heartwood is light brick-red, darkening on exposure to reddish brown. The sapwood is white, pink, or pale yellow-brown, sharply distinct from the heartwood (5, 6, 7, 11).

Texture, Grain, Figure

Toon has straight to interlocked grain and moderately coarse texture. The figure is pronounced on tangential surfaces because of the distinct growth rings (5, 21, 26, 28).

Luster

The wood is moderately lustrous.

Odor and Taste Toon has a strong aromatic or spicy odor when freshly sawn. The wood may be tasteless or have a characteristic acrid taste (2, 7, 21).

Weight

Toon is rated very light to moderately heavy, with an average weight when air dried to 12 percent moisture content of 30 pounds per cubic foot (5, 18), or a range of from 21 to 43 pounds per cubic foot at vary- ing moisture contents (2, 6, 7, 21, 25, 26, 30).

Mechanical Properties

Limaye (18)1 has rated the strength value as a beam for toon by comparing it with the strength of teak (Tectona grandis). Cedrela toona is rated "weak" and C. serrata is rated "moderately strong," based on a rating of "strong" for teak. -Comparative index figures for suitability as a beam are used as a basis for grouping woods by descriptive adjectives referring to strength. If the strength as a beam of teak timber is taken as 100, the figures for other species range from 25 to 150. The strength classification is as follows: Very weak -- below 50 Strong -- 90 to 109 weak — 50 to 69 very strong -- 110 to 129 moderately strong - - 70 to 89 extremely strong -- 130 and above Cedrela toona and C. serrata have index figures of 57 and 77, respectively. Report No. 1970 -3- Values obtained for other mechanical properties of toon are presented in table 1.

Seasoning and Shrinkage

Both Cedrela toona and C. serrata are reported to show excessive shrinkage during the early stages of seasoning. Some toon timber has a tendency to warp and cup, especially when the rings do not show uni- form growth (2, 7, 21).

The Indian Forest Research Institute (23) has indicated that Cedrela toona is somewhat subject to collapse during drying. Such material should either be air dried carefully or kiln dried by a mild schedule. The Indian Institute has suggested their schedule 5 (see table 2) for this wood.

The British Forest Products Research Laboratory, in their Leaflet 42,' Revised March 1952 (3), recommended a higher temperature schedule (No. 6 -- see table 3).

The Australian Forest Products Laboratory (2) has indicated that the Australian variety, C. toona var. australis, is also somewhat refractory in drying. This Laboratory has suggested a schedule with considerably lower relative humidity (see table 4) than the other two although the temperature is intermediate.

The Indonesian Forest Research Institute (20) indicates that the western Cedrela mexicana, a planted foreign species grown in Indonesia that apparently has little tendency to collapse, can be dried with considerably more severe kiln schedules.

The closest standard schedule of the U. S. Forest Products Laboratory Report D1791 (29) to the Indian schedule would be T3-C3. If gum exuda- tion after drying is a problem, as it is in the American Cedrela, a T4 temperature schedule would be better. The humidity schedule could be adjusted to D3 if green moisture content were over 80 percent, or to E3 if it were over 100 percent. If green moisture content is low, there would be less tendency to collapse, and a higher temperature schedule such as T8 might be suitable.

Durability

Toon is reported to be resistant to termites and borers. It is rated fairly durable even in exposed positions (6, 11, 21).

Report No. 1970 -4- Working Characteristics

The straight-grained timber saws and works easily, and when freshly planed it has a smooth surface. Wood with interlocked grain, however, is difficult to machine, and the boards are apt to warp and cup (6, 21).

Uses

It is used for house construction, furniture, cabinet work, carving, interior finish, panelling, bent work, construction of racing boats because of its durability and lightness, tea boxes, blinds, musical instruments, railway carriages, carts, pattern making, brush handles, and bridges (2, 11, 21).

Structure

Toon has a weakly to decidedly ring-porous structure. The larger pores can readily be seen without magnification. Dark-brown gum may plug the pores and may occur at times associated with injury and produce gummy spots or streaks (5, 6).

Report No. 1970 -5- References

1. Anonymous 1925. North Queensland' s valuable timbers -- Red cedar (Cedrela toona). Aust. For. J. Vol. 8, No. 7, pp. 182186.

2. Boas, L H. 1947. The Commercial Timbers of Australia, Their Properties and Uses. Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, pp. 215- 216.

3. British Forest Products Research Laboratory 1952. Kiln-Drying Schedules. Leaflet No. 42, Revised, pp. 4, 6. Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Princes Risborough, Aylesbury, Bucks, England.

4. Chevalier, Aug. 1944. Les Toona' s ou Cedres bttards. Arbes de reboisement. Rev. Bot. App. & d'Agr. Tropicale (Paris). Vol. 24, Nos. 272-274, pp. 152-165. (Reviewed in: Trop. Woods No. 91, p. 63. Yale Univ. School of Forestry, New Haven, Conn. )

5. Chowdhury, K. A. 1945. The Identification of Burma Commercial Timbers. Indian Forest Records (New Series) Vol. 3, No. 6, p. 14. The Forest Research Institute, Dehra Dun, India.

6. Dadswell, H. E. , and Eckersley, A. M. 1943. Some timber species of Papua and New Guinea with descrip- tive notes on properties and uses and means of identifica- tion. C. S. I. R. -- Div. of For. Products, Proj. W. S. 11, Rpt. No. I, South Melbourne, Australia.

7. Desch, H. E. 1948. The Cedars. Wood (Brit. ) Vol. 13, No. 2, pp. 40-45, London.

Report No. 1970 -6- 8. Gamble, J. S. 1922. A Manual of Indian Timbers. Pp. 157-160. Reprint of 2nd ed. Sampson Low, Marston & Co. London.

9. Howard, A. L. 1948. Timbers of the World. 3rd edition. Pp. 103, 119, 121, 124, 128, 129, 134, 135, 308, 617. Macmillan & Co. Ltd. London.

10. Jerram, M. R. K. 1922. Cedrela serrata timber. Ind. Forester Vol. 48, pp. 501-2. Dehra Dun, India.

11... Kraemer, J. Hugo 1951. Trees of the Western Pacific Region. P. 166. West Lafayette, Indiana.

12. Kribs, David A. 1930. Comparative Anatomy of the Woods of the Meliaceae. Amer. J. Bot. Vol. 17, No. 8, pp. 724-738. Pub. by Bot. Society of America. (Reviewed in Trop. Woods No. 25, pp. 47-50. 1931. Yale Univ. School of Forestry, New Haven, Conn. )

13. 1950. Commercial Foreign Woods on the American Market. P. 112. Edwards Bros. , Inc. Ann Arbor, Mich.

14. Lane-Poole, C. E. 1925. The forest resources of the territories of Papua and New Guinea. P. 100. Printed and published for the government of the commonwealth of Australia by H. J. Green, Govt. Printer for the State of Victoria.

15. Li, Hui-Lin 1944. The Genus Cedrela in China. Trop. Woods No. 79, pp. 16..24. Yale Univ. School of Forestry, New Haven, Conn.

16. Limaye, V. D. 1933. The Physical and Mechanical Properties of Woods Grown in India. Third Interim Report on Project I. Indian Forest Records Vol. 18, Part 10, table 3, p. 59. Delhi, India.

Report No. 1970 -7- 17. Limaye, V. D. 1944. Suitability and Selection of Timbers for Different Uses. Parts 1 and 2. Indian Forest Records (New Series) Utilization. Vol. 3, No. 5, p. 12. Dehra Dun, India.

18. 1953. Standard Terminology for Describing Timbers. The Indian Forester, Vol. 79, No. 2, pp. 79-84. Dehra Dun, India.

19. Moll, J. W. and Janssonius, H. H. 1908. Mikrographie des holzes der auf Java vorkommenden baumarten. Band II, Disciflorae. Pp. 207-215. E. J. Brill -- Leiden.

20. Noerkamal, M. T. 1952. Droogproeven met Cedrela mexicana planken. [Kiln- drying trials with boards of C. mexicana. ] Indonesian Forest Research Institute, Report No. 53, 8 pp. Bogor, Indonesia.

21. Pearson, R. S. and Brown, H. P. 1932. Commercial Timbers of India. Vol. I. Pp. 267-274. Govt. of India, Central Publica- tion Branch. Calcutta.

22. Record, Samuel J. and Hess, Robert W. 1943. Timbers of the New World. Pp. 363-365. Yale University Press, New Haven, Conn.

23. Rehman, M. A. 1953. The Seasoning Behavior of Indian Timbers. Part II. Indian Forester Vol. 79, No. 7, pp. 369-375. Dehra Dun, India.

24. Scott, C. W. 1931. A comparison of the timbers of Burma with those of Europe and America as regards strength and other properties. Paper No. 3, Association of Engineers in Burma, July 23, p. 17.

Report No. 1970 -8- 25. Suvarnasuddhi, Khid 1950. Some Commercial Timbers of Thailand: Their Properties and Uses. P. 13. Royal Forest Dept. , Bangkok, Thailand.

26. Swain 1928. Timbers and forest products of Queensland. Pp. 103-106. Anthony James Cumming, Govt. Printer, Brisbane, Australia.

27. Symington, C. F. 1935. Cedrela in the Malay Peninsula. Malayan For. Vol. 4, No. 3, pp. 119-126.

28. Timber Development Association. 1949. Thitkado (Cedrela toona). Select Report No. 9. Timber Development Association. London.

29. Torgeson, 0. W. 1951. Schedule for the Kiln Drying of Wood. U. S. Forest Products Laboratory Rept. D1791, 9 pp. U. S. Forest Products Lab. , Madison, Wis.

30. Trotter, H. 1940. Manual of Indian Forest Utilization. Humphrey Milford. Oxford Univ. Press. P. 121, 280.

Report No. 1970 -9- Table 1. --Physical and mechanical properties of toon (Cedrela serrata and. C. toona) and teak (Tectona grandis)1

Property Species.?_

Toon Toon : Teak : (Cedrela : (Cedrela (Tectona serrata) toona) graz?clis)

Moisture content Green (at test) percent: 65.1 109.0 : 51. 8 Air-dry percent: 14.8 17.3 : 13.9

Specific gravity Based on volume when green and weight when ovendry . 474 : 424: . 598 Based on volume when air -dry2 and weight when ovendry . 498 : .435 : .611 Based on volume and weight when ovendry • . 543 : . 461 : . 629

Weight At test Green lbs. per cu. ft. : 49 • 55 57 Air -dry 3 lbs. per cu. ft. : 36 32 43 At 12 percent moisture.. lbs. per cu. ft. :: 35 30 43

Shrinkage Green to ovendry Radial percent: 3. 8 3.4 2. 3 Tangential...... percent: 6. 3 7.3 .• 4.2 Volumetric percent: 10. 8 11.3 .• 6. 8

Static bending Fiber stress at proportional limit Green p. s. : 4, 990 3, 780 : 7, 090 3 Air-dry p. s. : 7, 010 : 4, 435 : 9, 175 Modulus of rupture Green p. s. 1. : 8, 290 : 6, 195 :11,435 3 Air-dry p. s. i. :11, 895 8, 000 :13, 910

Modulus of elasticity • Green 1, 000 p. s. : 1, 248 910 : 1, 673 Air -dryl 1, 000 p. s. 1. : 1, 551 :1, 117 : 1, 818

Report No. 1970 (Sheet 1 of 3 )

Table 1. --Physical and mechanical properties of toon (Cedrela s errata and toona) and teak TTectona r andis (Conti d)

Property Species2 : -- Toon : Toon Teak (Cedrela : (Cedrela : (Tectona serrata) : toona) : grandis)

Static bending (continued) : : Work to proportional limit : : : Green in. -lb. per cu. in. : 1.14 : 0. 90 : 1.70 Air-dry! in. -lb. per cu. in. : 1.80 : 1.04 : 2. 62 Work to maximum load : : Green in. -lb. per cu. in. : 8. 3 : 6. 0 : 9. 3 Air -dry3 in. -lb. per cu. in. : 10.4 : 6. 1 : 10. 4 Work-total : : : Green in. -lb. per cu. in. : 22. 3 : 15. 8 : 27. 1 Air-dry! in. -lb. per cu. 17.in. 3 :1: 4. 8 : 25. 1

Impact bending : : Fiber stress at proportional limit : : Green p. s. i. : 12, 230 : 9, 385 : 16, 745 3 Air-dry p. so i. : 13, 425 : 9, 995 18, 940 Work to proportional limit : °. Green in. -lb. per cu. in. : 4.71 : 3. 77 : 7. 23 Air -dry3 in. -lb. per cu. in. : 4. 86 : 3. 52 : 8. 40 Height of drop causing complete : : failure (50-pound hammer) : : Green inches: 24 : 23 35 3 Air-dry— inches: 23 17 27 Modulus of elasticity Green 1, 000 p. s. i. : 1, 815 : 1, 328 : 2, 183 Air -dry 3 1,000 p. s. i. : 2, 294 : 1,608 : 2, 376

Compression parallel to grain : Fiber stress at proportional limit :

Green p. s. i. : 3, 370 2 2, 310 : 4, 075 Air -dry3 p. s. i. : 5, 780 : 2, 620 : 5, 390 Maximum crushing strength .° Green p. s. i. : 4, 290 : 3, 065 : 5, 870 Air -dry 3 p. s. i. : 6, 485 : 4, 570 7, 900 Modulus of elasticity Green 1, 000 p. s. i. : 1, 296 879 : 1, 937 Air-dry3 1, 000 p. s. i. : 1, 444 • 810 : 2, 033

Report No. 1970 (Sheet 2 of 3)

Table 1. --Physical and mechanical properties of toon (Cedrela , serrata and C. toona and teak (Tectona randis 1(Contid)

Property Species

Toon . Toon . Teak : (Cedrela : (Cedrela : (Tectona serrata) : toona) : grandis)

Compression perpendicular to grain : Stress at proportional limit Green...... p. s. 715 590 : 1,055 Air-dry! 1,020 685 : 1,405

Hardness± Greene radial...... lb.. 765 655 1, 045 Green - tangential...... 1b. : 785 630 1,030

Green- side...... lb. 2 790 695 915 Air-dry 3 - radial...... lb.. 880 735 1,125 Air-dry 3 - tangential...... lb..; 880 r 815 1,115 Air-dry 3 - side...... lb. : 1,035 830 1,050

Shear Green - radial. . p. s. i 990 825 1,045 Green - tangential. . . p. s. 1,030 2 990 : 1,170 Air-dry! - radial... p. s. : 1,685 ; 1,130 : 1,220 Air-dry 3 - tangential.. p. s. 2,025 1,560 1,415

Tension perpendicular to grain Green - radial... _ . 475 475 525 Green - tangential : 445 565 0 695 Air-dry 3 - radial : 440 640 540 Air-dry! - tangential 545 805 640

—1 Data for Cedrela toona, C. serrata, and Tectona grandis were compiled at the Forest Research Institute, Dehra Dun, India (16). .?-Source and number of logs: Cedrela serrata, Maymyo (Burma), 5 logs; Cedrela toona, Dehra Dun (U. P. ), 5 logs; Tectona grandis, Burma and Malabar, 14 logs. !Values tabulated under this heading have been obtained by testing material which has been seasoned, as nearly as possible, to a moisture content of 12 percent. The actual percentage of moisture present is given for each wood under the heading "Moisture Content," (the first item in the table, under "Air-dry"). ±The load in pounds required to embed a 0. 444-inch steel ball to half its diameter. Report No. 1970 (Sheet 3 of 3) Table 2. —Kiln schedule for Cedrela toona recommended by the Indian Forest Research Institute'

Moisture content : Temperature :Relative humidity ------:Dry bulb:Wet bulb :

Percent °F. : °F. : Percent

Green to 40 : 108 : 102 81

40 to 35 113 : 104 : 74

35 to 30 115 : 104 68

30 to 25 118 : 104 : 62

25 to 20 122 : 104 53

20 to 15 0 126 : 104 a 47

15 to final : 131 : 104 40

-Schedule 5 developed by the Indian Forest Research Institute at Dehra Dun, India (23).

Report No. 1970 Table 3. --Kiln schedule for Cedrela toona recom- mended by the British Forest Products Research Laboratory"

Moisture content : Temperature :Relative humidity

:Dry bulb: Wet bulb

Percent °F. °F. Percent

Green to 35 : 130 : 123 80

35 to 30 135 : 125 75

30 to 25 140 : 128 70

25 to 20 : 145 : 127 60

20 to 15 : 155 : 131 50

15 to 10 0 165 : 132 40

10 to final 175 : 131 30 -Schedule 6 of the British Forest Products Research Laboratory (3).

Table 4. --Kiln schedule for Cedrela toona var. australis recommended by the Australian Forest Products Laboratory!

Moisture content : Temperature : Relative humidity ----- :Drybulb: Wet bulb

Percent °F. °F. Percent

Green to 40 : 120 : 105 60

40 to 30 : 130 : 110 52

30 to 20 : 140 : 110 38

20 to final 0 160 : 130 43 -Schedule CY of the Australian Forest Products Laboratory at Melbourne, Australia (2). Report No. 1970