retusa and 10 other species of the same genus and from various origins. Dalbergia nigra (jacarandá-da-Bahia), decipularis, D.Swietenia macrophylla (mahogany) from five Latin American countries: Bolivia, Brazil, Guatemala, Mexico and Peru.Swietenia macrophylla (mahogany) and five visually similar species ( Swietenia humilis, Carapa guianensis, Cedrela odorata, Mycropholis melinoniana) of various origins.The collection of near infrared spectra (NIRS) of tropical wood species from the Forest Products Laboratory of the Brazilian Forest Service (LPF-SFB) is extremely important because it allows the interested public to access and build wood identification models according to their needs and local conditions.Ĭonsidering the potential of this tool for the study and protection of wood-producing species, LPF-SFB, together with the Laboratory of Automation, Chemometrics and Environmental Chemistry of the University of Brasilia (AQUA – UnB), makes available, through this database, the NIRS spectra collected, since 2014, of three distinct groups: The database can be used by environmental, customs, police and other agents that fight illegal timber extraction and trade, just like other databases such as ForeST – (Forensic Spectra of Trees), which makes available the results of wood analyses obtained by mass spectrometry.
The wood selected in the NIRS spectra bank includes mainly species designated as endangered by CITES – Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora or similar. Near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) apparatus being tested in wood identification. The experience of our research group has shown that as long as the wood spectra are obtained from samples in the same humidity condition and that have had their surfaces prepared in the same way, it is possible to use a model created from a base of NIRS spectra to determine either the forest species or its origin (Figure 1).įigure 1. NIRS technology, a combination of Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) and chemometric analysis, is proposed as an alternative to wood anatomy.
Currently, other instrumental or electronic techniques are being developed to aid in wood identification. However, due to the need for highly trained specialists, this method has not been able to meet the large demand from the forest products trade. Moreira Ĭurrently, the most widely used technique for identifying the wood of a forest species is wood anatomy, which compares the anatomical characters of a given sample with reference samples deposited in wood collections or xylotheques. Study being conducted by the Forest Products Laboratory (LPF), with support from ACTOĪuthors: Tereza C. The technology can be used by environmental, customs, police and other agents that combat illegal logging and its trade.