Abstract

Wood and bamboo represent the biomass accumulated over the life history of trees and bamboos, playing critical roles in both biotic and abiotic processes within ecosystems. These materials also serve as vital renewable resources for humanity, contributing to the sustainable utilization of natural resources and underpinning the advancement of human civilization. A thorough understanding of the properties of wood and bamboo across different species is essential for the sustainable management of forest ecosystems and the efficient use of these resources. Previously, research outcome on wood and bamboo properties in Taiwan has been fragmented, with findings scattered across diverse printed literature, hindering access and utilization. This study presents a systematic review of scientific publications from Taiwan, extracting wood property data from various tree and bamboo species and integrating this information into a comprehensive, computerized database. The resulting database, “WoodProperty.tw”, compiles data extracted from 156 documents published between 1947 and 2018, encompassing 5,762 records and 236 data fields of wood property data for 607 species in Taiwan. WoodProperty.tw features standardized and clearly defined data fields, traceable source literature, and unified species taxonomic information. It is released under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (CC BY 4.0) and is publicly accessible for download, use, adaptation, and distribution.

Keyword: bamboo, literature-based, open access, relational database, tree, wood property

Literature Cited

Akinlabi, E.T., Anane-Fenin, K., Akwada, D.R. 2017 Bamboo - The multipurpose plant. Springer Cham. 262 pp.

Ampoorter, E., Barbaro, L., Jactel, H., Baeten, L., Boberg, J., Carnol, M., Castagneyrol, B., Charbonnier, Y., Dawud, S.M., Deconchat, M., Smedt, P.D., Wandeler, H.D., Guyot, V., H?ttenschwiler, S., Joly, F.-X., Koricheva, J., Milligan, H., Muys, B., Nguyen, D., Ratcliffe, S., Raulund-Rasmussen, K., Scherer-Lorenzen, M., van der Plas, F., Keer, J.V., Verheyen, K., Vesterdal, L., Allan, E. 2020 Tree diversity is key for promoting the diversity and abundance of forest-associated taxa in Europe. Oikos 129(2): 133–146.
DOI: 10.1111/oik.06290View Article Google Scholar

Anderson-Teixeira, K.J., Herrmann, V., Banbury Morgan, R., Bond-Lamberty, B., Cook-Patton, S.C., Ferson, A.E., Muller-Landau, H.C., Wang, M.M.H. 2021 Carbon cycling in mature and regrowth forests globally. Environ. Res. Lett. 16(5): 053009.
DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/abed01View Article Google Scholar

Barnes, B.V., Zak, D.R., Denton, S.R., Spurr, S.H. 1998 Forest Ecology, 4th ed. John Wiley & Sons, New York, US. 774 pp.

Chao, K.-J., Li, Y.-J., Song, G.Z.M., Chao, W.-C., Chang-Yang, C.-H., Chiang, J.-M. 2022 Database for carbon stocks estimation variables of tree species used in soil and water conservation. J. Chin. Soil Water Conserv. 53(2): 100–110.
DOI: 10.29417/JCSWC.202206_53(2).0003View Article Google Scholar

Chave, J., Coomes, D., Jansen, S., Lewis, S.L., Swenson, N.G., Zanne, A.E. 2009 Towards a worldwide wood economics spectrum. Ecol. Lett. 12(4): 351–366.
DOI: 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2009.01285.xView Article Google Scholar

Chung, K.-F., Shao, K.-T. 2022 Catalogue of Life in Taiwan. https://taicol.tw. Retrieved 2024-03-25.

Darwin Core Maintenance Group 2021 List of Darwin Core Terms. Biodiversity Information Standards (TDWG). http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/doc/list/.

Forest Products Laboratory 2010 Wood Handbook—Wood as an engineering material. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin. 508 pp.

Institute of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology of National Taiwan University 2024 Plants of Taiwan. https://tai2.ntu.edu.tw.

Li, H.-L. 1963 Woody Flora of Taiwan. Livingston Publishing Company, Narberth, Pennsylvania, US. 974 pp.

Liu, T.-S. 1960–1962 Illustrations of Native and Introduced Ligneous Plants of Taiwan, Vol. 1-2. College of Agriculture, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan (ROC). 1388 pp.

Liu, Y.-C., Lu, F.-Y., Ou, C.-H. 1994 Trees of Taiwan. College of Agriculture, National Chung-Shing University, Taichung, Taiwan (ROC). 925 pp.

Niemz, P., Teischinger, A., Sandberg, D. (eds.) 2023 Springer Handbook of Wood Science and Technology. Springer, Heidelberg, Germany. 2069 pp.

R?ger, N., Comita, L.S., Condit, R., Purves, D., Rosenbaum, B., Visser, M.D., Wright, S.J., Wirth, C. 2018 Beyond the fast–slow continuum: demographic dimensions structuring a tropical tree community. Ecol. Lett. 21(7): 1075–1084.
DOI: 10.1111/ele.12974View Article Google Scholar

Sandstr?m, J., Bernes, C., Junninen, K., L?hmus, A., Macdonald, E., M?ller, J., Jonsson, B.G. 2019 Impacts of dead wood manipulation on the biodiversity of temperate and boreal forests. A systematic review. J. Appl. Ecol. 56(7): 1770–1781.
DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13395View Article Google Scholar

Su, S.-H. 2025 WoodProperty.tw: a wood property database for tree and bamboo species in Taiwan. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13836163

The Editorial Committee of the Flora of Taiwan (ed.) 1975–1980 Flora of Taiwan, Vol. 1-6, 1st ed. Epoch Publishing Co., Ltd., Taipei, Taiwan (ROC).

The Editorial Committee of the Flora of Taiwan (ed.) 1993–2003 Flora of Taiwan, Vol. 1-6, 2nd ed. Department of Botany, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan (ROC).

Van Gelder, H.A., Poorter, L., Sterck, F.J. 2006 Wood mechanics, allometry, and life-history variation in a tropical rain forest tree community. New Phytol. 171(2): 367–378.
DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2006.01757.xView Article Google Scholar

Wang, P.-J., Wang, D.-H., Lin, J.-C. 2013 The history review and management about Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) plantations in Taiwan. Quart. J. Chin. Forest. 46(2): 179–188.

Wang, S.-Y. 1985 Commercial Timber (expanded edition). Association of Forest Products, Taipei, Taiwan (ROC). 376 pp.

Yang, Y.-P., Liu, H.-Y. (eds.) 2002 Manual of Taiwan Vascular Plants, Vol. 6. The Council of Agriculture, The Executive Yuen, Taipei, Taiwan (ROC). 665 pp.