The aim of this study is to develop a new management technique in rosewood trees (Aniba roseodora Ducke) to replace the traditional clear-cut method. The biomass of branches and leaves originated by sprouting is used to estimate oil productivity, focusing on the silvicultural management of this species. The plantation is located at the Adolpho Ducke Forest Reserve, Manaus, Brazil. The biomass of branches and leaves was quantified 13 years after the first pruning. The average dry weight of tree canopy sprouts (39.5 kg) was greater than the control (23 kg). That is one indication that the canopy pruning technique can stimulate higher biomass productivity. Because the trunk weight represented 85.5 % of total tree weight and the oil productivity is directly related to above-ground biomass the usual current management is through clear-cutting. The canopy sprouting capacity and the higher oil productivity from branches and leaves than those found in trunks therefore reveal that the management of this species could be done through tree canopy pruning, avoiding the traditional tree exploitation.
Biomass; rosewood management
