Okoumé Tree
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''Aucoumea klaineana'' (angouma, gaboon, or okoumé) is a
tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, e.g., including only woody plants with secondary growth, only ...
in the family
Burseraceae The Burseraceae are a moderate-sized family of 17-19 genera and about 540 species of woody flowering plants. The actual numbers given in taxonomic sources differ according to taxonomic revision at the time of writing. The Burseraceae are also ...
, native to equatorial west
Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...
in
Gabon Gabon ( ; ), officially the Gabonese Republic (), is a country on the Atlantic coast of Central Africa, on the equator, bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, the Republic of the Congo to the east and south, and ...
, the
Republic of the Congo The Republic of the Congo, also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo), is a country located on the western coast of Central ...
, and
Río Muni Río Muni (called ''Mbini'' in Fang language, Fang) is the Continental Region (called ''Región Continental'' in Spanish language, Spanish) of Equatorial Guinea, and comprises the mainland geographical region, covering . The name is derived fr ...
. It is a large
hardwood Hardwood is wood from Flowering plant, angiosperm trees. These are usually found in broad-leaved temperate and tropical forests. In temperate and boreal ecosystem, boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostl ...
tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, e.g., including only woody plants with secondary growth, only ...
growing to tall, rarely larger, with a trunk diameter above the often large basal buttresses. The tree generally grows in small stands, with the roots of the trees intertwined with neighboring trees. In Gabon, it is the primary
timber Lumber is wood that has been processed into uniform and useful sizes (dimensional lumber), including beams and planks or boards. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, window frames). ...
species.


Uses

It is a weak wood, with low decay resistance and moderate dimensional stability. The major use of gaboon is in the manufacture of
plywood Plywood is a composite material manufactured from thin layers, or "plies", of wood veneer that have been stacked and glued together. It is an engineered wood from the family of manufactured boards, which include plywood, medium-density fibreboa ...
. It is about 8–12% lighter than the other main marine plywood, meranti, that is commonly used in boatbuilding, but is not as stiff. This is useful when a boat design calls for tight-radius bends, such as near the bow in a single chine design, because of its flexibility. However, it does not resist impact damage as well as meranti. It is often sheathed in
epoxy Epoxy is the family of basic components or Curing (chemistry), cured end products of epoxy Resin, resins. Epoxy resins, also known as polyepoxides, are a class of reactive prepolymers and polymers which contain epoxide groups. The epoxide fun ...
resin to increase strength and give more impact and abrasion resistance, and to increase water resistance over conventional marine enamel paints. It is often used in sandwich construction using the West (and other similar) epoxy system. Its attractive appearance means that it is often used decoratively as the top surface veneer in panelling and furniture, or in solid form, in luxury items such as boxes for
cigar A cigar is a rolled bundle of dried and Fermentation, fermented tobacco leaves made to be Tobacco smoking, smoked. Cigars are produced in a variety of sizes and shapes. Since the 20th century, almost all cigars are made of three distinct comp ...
s or other high-value items (e.g. audio equipment). Gaboon plywood is also used in the French aircraft industry to make light airplanes, such as those built by Avions Robin. It was used extensively to manufacture the Jodel range of aircraft, which are popular throughout Europe, but no longer factory-built. However, the wood's open grain, flexibility, and light weight make it a popular choice for amateur builders of Jodel aircraft to this day. In the form known as okoumé marine-grade plywood, it is considered perhaps the finest construction plywood now available for boats, especially where lighter weight is needed. It is widely available manufactured and certified to British Standard 1088. Its users range from individual hobbyist
kayak ] A kayak is a small, narrow human-powered watercraft typically propelled by means of a long, double-bladed paddle. The word ''kayak'' originates from the Inuktitut word '' qajaq'' (). In British English, the kayak is also considered to be ...
builders to some of the world's largest boat builders. Most often it is used in combination with epoxy and
fiberglass Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English) is a common type of fibre-reinforced plastic, fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened i ...
, the combination giving a structure that can be stronger and lighter than plastic or fiberglass, rivaling the performance characteristics of more advanced composites such as
carbon fiber Carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (American English), carbon-fibre-reinforced polymers ( Commonwealth English), carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics, carbon-fiber reinforced-thermoplastic (CFRP, CRP, CFRTP), also known as carbon fiber, carbon comp ...
. The grain appearance is prized, likened to that of
mahogany Mahogany is a straight- grained, reddish-brown timber of three tropical hardwood species of the genus ''Swietenia'', indigenous to the AmericasBridgewater, Samuel (2012). ''A Natural History of Belize: Inside the Maya Forest''. Austin: Universit ...
, and is often varnished for a decorative appearance. When used for the backs and sides of high-end acoustic guitars, okoumé (or as it is known in the trade, akoumé) exhibits many of the tonal properties of maple. Guitars made with okoumé are noticeably lighter in weight than those made with mahogany or rosewood.


References


External links


Profiles of Africa Tree Species: ''Aucoumea klaineana''Aucoumea klaineana Infographics
{{Authority control Burseraceae Trees of Africa Vulnerable plants Flora of Gabon Flora of the Republic of the Congo Flora of Equatorial Guinea