New marketable Ghanaian timber species for furniture and construction

Properties of selected 'pink star' timber species have been studied and the species categorized into three usage groups: building and general construction, heavy construction as well as furniture and decorative works. Results of studies on the properties of the selected species as well as field trials indicate that most of them are suitable alternatives to the over-used traditional species. The present stocking levels of the species also indicate a bright future of sustained supply. As the traditional species become scarcer, engineers and wood specifiers are encouraged to utilize these species, as recommended in this paper, to broaden the species base for products manufacture and sustain the dwindling resource base of the traditional commercial species.