SURVEY OF WOOD STRENGTH PROPERTIES OF URBAN TREES IN SINGAPORE USING THE FRACTOMETER II

The Fractometer II, a portable field-based wood testing device, was used to assess the radial bending strength, fracture angle and longitudinal compression strength of freshly cored wood samples from the lower trunk of 25 urban tree species in Singapore. Tables of standard values for the future use of this device for the species tested are presented. For radial bending strength and fracture angle, the data showed interspecific variation. Paraserianthes falcataria (Leguminosae), a species noted for snapping, had radial bending strength that was significantly lower than all the species tested. Swietenia macrophylla (Meliaceae) had high fracture angle and radial bending strength. The use of the Fractometer II and the results of this survey in tree risk assessment are discussed.