The use of renewable sources of energy is a worldwide trend and is being
increasingly widespread, mainly for environmental and economic reasons. Biomass has
become one of the most commonly used renewable sources of energy in the last years.
Many of the biomass fuels used today comes in the form of wood products and others
sources. In Brazil, woody biomass has great expression in the country's energy supply,
12,5% of the total (BRASIL, 2008). However, the growing demand for such application
requires the expansion of forest plantations for sustained production. Meanwhile, the
forest plantations should be targeted by productivity of forests and the characteristics of
wood during energy use to reach high yields. The Brazilian species are, relatively, little
known in terms of energy uses, since most of the plantations are traditionally carried out
with species of the genus Pine and Eucalyptus. This study aimed to bring about
qualitative and quantitative characteristics of Brazilian forest species, as well as a study
about the influence of age on the characteristics of wood energy uses, in order, to
provide subsidies for the selection of species with vocation for this purpose. The
research was conducted from recovery plantations in the region of Assis, Brazil. In such
areas, the Forest Institute of the State of Sao Paulo developed tissues for quantification
of biomass production and carbon (MELO et al., 2008) and, in addition, this study was
conducted, aiming to offer new data and information for this important segment. In the
first study, 12 species from 6 to 8 years were evaluated, on the energy production and
properties of wood related to this purpose. The second assessment compared the
characteristics of two species of wood in two distinct age groups, 6 and 8 years and 36
and 37 years. Based on the results it was concluded that: a) None of the species studied
showed limitations on its woods’ characteristics, related to energy use; b) The decisive
factor on the selection of species for planting was the production of biomass; c) Related
with the last point, four species present more potential for energy use, namely:
Enteroplobium contortisiliquum, Anadenanthera macrocarpa, Cytharexyllum myrianthum
and Acacia polyphyla d) In the second study, conducted on the Anadenanthera falcata
and Myracrodruon urundeuva, there was the influence of age in all properties of the
woods, for both species analyzed. e) Considering the last species mentioned, it was
found that the density, the heating value, the carbon fixed, the extractives content and
the lignin content were positively associated with age, while the volatile materials
content and ash showed negative influence of the effect of age.
