The Tectona Grandis, popularly known as Teca, is a tree of large statue, native of the tropical forests situated between 10° and 25° North in the Indian Subcontinent and in Southeastern Asia, primarily in India, Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Java. Due to its geographical dispersion and its environmental variation in which it naturally occurs, the Teca tree is highly adaptable with a vertical dispersion of 0 to 1300 meters above sea level, occurring in areas with an annual precipitation of 800 to 2500 mm, and extreme temperatures of 2° to 42°C, although not being able to conform to frost.
The Teca tree has been cultivated since the XVIII century, when the British demanded great quantities of lumber for the construction of their naval armada. In the south of Asia, the culture of using Teca is traditional, being the leader lumber that is cultivated in large scale. Presently the worldwide area that has planted Teca trees exceeds 3 million hectares, places of tropical origin, such as, Togo, Cameroon, Zaire, Nigeria, Trinidad, Honduras, Brazil, among a few and not to mention Asia.s
Despite the fact that the Teca Tree can only be cultivated in tropical regions, the Teca Lumber is very sought after especially in the European Continent, where the price of the cubic meter is above the price of mahogany. On a worldwide scale, the Teca lumber is highly appreciated for its quality as well as for its rusticity.


- Botanical Information:
The Tectona Grandis L.f. (Teca Tree) belongs to the botanical Verbenaceae family. Its leaves, which can have an opposite vertical disposition in groups of three, are coriaceous and measure 30 to 60 cm in length and 30 to 35 cm in width. Its limbs are wide and elliptical, smooth on the superior surface and rough on the inferior surface. Its large leaves make the tree shady ever since its juvenile phase.
Its flowers are small, combining a yellowish-white color span an area of 40 x 35 cm.
The fruits of the Teca Tree are cylindrical with a brownish color approximately 1 cm in diameter. Each fruit has four cavities in which the seeds are incased (one seed per cavity); however not all of them germinate. The first fruit bearing occurs when the tree reaches the age of 5-6 years.
When adult the tree reaches a height of 25 to 35 meters (rarely above 45 meters) and a diameter (DAP) of 100 cm or more. Its trunk is straight and shielded by a dense bark that can resist fire. It looses its leaves during the dry season due to its regular transitory stage.



The inner trunk is straight and clear very distinct from the core which color is a lively brown and brilliant. This peculiar beauty is what causes the high demand for the Teca Lumber for décor, interior luxury and fine furnishing. Besides the decorative effect, Teca wood is utilized for an entire gamma of applications: naval construction, lamination and plywood, firewood and charcoal; the two last uses are specific only in its natural habitat.
The average density of the Teca wood is 0.65g/cm³ and despite the fact that it is light it presents an excellent ratio of resistance and weight bearing, grain and flexibility similar to the Brazilian Mahogany.
The wood is stable; it doesn’t warp and it shrinks very little during the drying process. The stability permits that the Teca wood resists a variation of humidity within the environment.
The durability of the Teca wood is one of the outstanding qualities of its kind. At the present moment there is few data within the countries that cultivate the Teca tree showing any pestilent attacks hindering its growth and development. The durability of the core is related to the tectoquinona, a natural preservative contained within the cells of the wood itself.
The inner trunk is a permeable material, a property that facilitates the application of preservatives. However, this treatment is only necessary when it is overexposed to weather; what is more, the inner trunk also poses all the characteristics of the core. Both the inner trunk and the core contain a substance similar to latex called caucho (rubber) that reduces the absorption of water and lubricates the surfaces. This substance also confers resistance to acids and protects nails and bolts from corrosion. In the countries where the Teca tree is explored – from native or reforestation – all the wood from the tree is utilized, including the logs of smaller diameter. Panels from long planks are utilized for manufacturing furniture, doors, interior decoration as well with the production of diverse utensils. The wood of small diameter is widley used in rustic construction, as for columns, pilars and roofing.
Although there are experimental plantations of Teca trees in institutions of research and learning such as ESALQ, (a large plantation planted in 1959), one of the most expressive and oldest reforestation plantation of the Teca trees was implemented in the City of Cáceres, in the State of Mato Grosso, Brazil. In 1968, within Cáceres deforested parameters different tree species were tested to drive the reforestation in that area. Within the species tested the Teca tree showed the best adaptation of fast growth in height. Another important factor that encouraged the planting of Teca in the region was the price in relation to the international market for the lumber that the Teca wood produced, being much more superior to that of mahogany. In Brazil, Teca has been managed in cycles of harvest every 25 years, whereas in other cultivating countries the cycles vary between every 60 to 80 years.
The IPT (Institute of Technological Research) tested the quality of the wood originating from Cáceres and guarantee that the physical and mechanical properties are similar to the Teca lumber from Southeast Asia.
In 1986, the area of planted Teca trees was an estimated 10 thousand hectares; presently 50 thousand hectares of planted Teca trees are planted in the State of Mato Grosso alone.
Teca has been making tremendous advances in the Amazon primarily due to the studies and Coordination the agricultural branch of SUFRAMA in Manaus, AM. Agro-forestall systems with Teca, among other species, can definitely be an alternative for recuperating abandoned and degraded pasture lands, as well as creating a mechanism to contain the pressure of deforestation of the primary forests and promote and develop social, economical and ecological sustainability within the Amazon Region.

- Conditions necessary for planting the Teca Tree:
The most favorable climate is humid and tropical, characterized by having a rainy summer and a dry winter. The following factors should be highly considered:
1) Annual precipitation should be between 1200 to 2500 mm.
2) Dry season between 3 to 5 months, coinciding with temperatures that are tropically pleasant. The quality of the wood depends on the dry season.
3) The annual temperature should be above 22°C. The best growth ratio for Teca seedlings occurs when the daytime temperature varies between 27° and 36°C and the nighttime temperatures vary between 22° and 31°C.
Teca is very demanding when it comes to the fertility of the soil, which needs to be at a depth of up to more than 1.5 meters, permeable, well drained, but with a medium and high capacity of retaining water. Soils of medium texture are recommended the most. An evaluation study of the nutritional state, growth of the Teca tree and its relationship to the soil factors, showed that the best development is related to the richness of the nutrients, organic material and the pH factor being close to neutral.
The Teca is demanding on changeable base soil content, primarily calcium. (Matricardi 1989, Tanaka 1998).
Lands with a greater slope should be avoided, due to problems with erosion. If slope regions are used it is recommended that constructive arrangements be made to conserve the soil, such as, leveled plains, step-down irrigated levels with minimal cultivating techniques.



In order to reforest 1 hectare of Teca, in an area of 3x2 meters, 4 kilos of Teca fruit (including repositioning damaged seedlings) are necessary. The Teca fruit can be harvested from July until October and stored in a dry fresh environment, sheltered from direct light.
Note: Commercially what is called “seed” in reality is the entire fruit. The true seeds are small and delicate and the fruit itself is too hard to be broken open in order to get to the seeds without damaging them. Thereby it is necessary to plant the entire fruit instead of the seeds per say.
In order uniform the germination, the Teca fruits need to be immersed in running water for 24 to 48 hours. The best substratum is sand with organic dirt (in the sowing area) and the ideal temperature is achieved by covering the sowing area with a black canvas for 96 hours. The germinated seedlings are then removed from the sowing area and carefully repotted into little black tube-like plastic bags being ready for definite planting within 3 to 4 months.
One of the alternatives to seedling production is by way of the root itself, called stub-seedling. This technique consists of pruning the plant to the point of retaining 10 cm of the pivotal root and 2 cm of the stem. The “stub” seedling can be transplanted into other recipients or directly in defined field. The only disadvantage is a longer timeframe from four months to eleven months for the seedling production.
When the option for producing seedlings is by way of using the fruits, detailed consideration should be given to the quality allotment of the seeds used. Seeds quality in areas of reproduction is based on the matrix itself – the mother tree, whose trunk is adequately formed and shaped, (having a straight trunk and without bifurcation etc…). Besides the forestry aspect, it is important to know the physical characteristics (density, mechanical resistance of the wood) and the origin utilized.

- Productive Data:
The following data refers to plantations made in adequate cultivating conditions such as, (soil, climate, seed quality etc…):
1) The average productivity, within the recommended cycle for production for commercial lumber, falls in between 10 to 15 m³/ha/anually, totalizing 250 to 350 m³/ha within the 25 year regime with 4 major pruning of the surrounded area and of the trees themselves;
2) 50 to 60% of total production is harvested during the final cut; this volume corresponds to the values between 150 to 230m³/ha.
3) The wood from the first pruning is not considered of any commercial value; however it is used within the rural way of life capable of generating a significant revenue.
4) The implantation and maintenance costs are amortized in the second and third pruning of the trees.
5) The fourth pruning and final cut are concentrated in the final economical figure related to reforestation using Teca Trees.
7) Presently the FOB price of the cubic meter of commercial Teca lumber varies between $400 to $3,000 US dollars depending on the quality of the wood (with or without knots) and the gauge of the logs.

- The Market:
The worldwide production of Teca Lumber is approximately 3 million cubic meters a year, being that the greatest consumer is the country of origin, the internal market itself, the countries in which produce the Teca lumber. The international market consumes in the neighborhood of 500 thousand cubic meters, but the advertisement is still smaller than the demand.
According to the market analysis, there will be a higher demand due to the improvement of standard living within the countries that are still developing. The decreasing offer of other tropical lumber found only in natural habitats such as mahogany and the along with the environmental consciousness of the consumers (primarily European) are also decisive factors for the heightened demand.
The Brazilian market is also seen as a potentially large consumer, as well as a potentially large producer. After all, Brazil poses enough adequate areas for the plantation of Teca trees and a tropical Rainforest to preserve.
- What is the Market Like?
1) Major producers: Indonesia, Myanmar and Sri Lanka.
2) Major importers: Germany, Saudi Arabia, Australia, Denmark, United Arab Emirates, USA, Japan, Holland, Italy and the United Kingdom. 3) Hong Kong and Singapore are centers which manufacture and re-export Teca Lumber from Myanmar.
4) India and Thailand produce and import Teca.


- Bibliographical References:
Evaluation of the nutritional state and growth of Teca trees (Tectona Grandis) and its relationship with the soil factors in the southeastern plantations of Mato Grosso, analyzing the principal components. (Dionei José da Silva, João Batista da Silva Ferraz, Manoel dos Santos Filho and Joselaine Solto Hall da Silva).
Testing the Teca seeds with the immersion effect in water and warming. (Sidney Fernando Caldeira and Sidnéa Aparecida Fiori Caldeira.