Promoting utilization potential of Bombax ceiba Linn and Bombax insigne Wall through enhancement of wood quality and technological properties by modification with melamine resin

Population and welfare growth increases timber demand in Myanmar. At the same time, the growing stock of commercially important timber species dwindles as a result of concentrated harvesting practice on a few timber species. To meet the growing timber demand, one of the best options is utilizing the so-called lesser-used timber species, which constitute 75-80% of the total growing stock of Myanmar forests. Thus, the objective of this research is to promote the utilization potential of some abundantly available lesser-used timber species. Bombax ceiba, Bombax insigne, Spondias pinnata and Tetrameles nudiflora were chosen as investigating materials. They find difficulties to get market acceptance due to their inferior quality and thus have very low commercial value, but are abundantly available. As they are of low durability, low strengths and high water uptake, their utilization-oriented properties should be upgraded through some forms oftreatment to open up their way to markets. On a screening test, their treatabilitywas tested in a full cell process employing a staining solution in accordance with CEN/TC 38/WG 26 on one side and in a vacuum process following procedures given in Kumar and Dobriyal (1993) on the other. Based on results from the two tests, the treatability was classified in three well-known standards and three methods developed by former researchers. As B. ceiba and B. insigne were easily treatable (Class 1), they were selected for further investigations.