Acacia nilotica (L.) Willd. ex. Delile growing in Baluran National Park has dramatically altered the ecological balance of grasslands and thereby threatens the existence of local biodiversity. Prickly acacia is able to spread rapidly and remains uncontrollable. Baluran National Park authorization has been struggling to control this prickly acacia trees. One possible action that can be taken to encounter this problem is allowing wood based industries, and local people take advantages of this nilotica timber utilization. This paper studies the anatomical properties and fiber dimensions of nilotica timber and discusses the possible utilization of nilotica timber. This timber is characterized by dark brown heartwood which is clearly distinct from reddish brown color of sapwood. The denser cell wall shows attractively streaked in tangential surfaces. The length of wood fiber decreases from pith toward periphery portion. Longitudinally, higher stem has shorter fiber. Nilotica wood has second class quality of fiber, which means its fiber is moderately thick with narrow lumen diameter. Due to small log diameter and branches, the nilotica timber is not recommended for construction material. The timber is suitable for carved and turnery products. Nilotica timber is suitable for charcoal manufacture and fuel wood due to its high calorific value

It is not easy to define color because it refers to psychological response of human. As a result, perception of color achieved by people is relatively different. Wood color plays an important role in timber processing and it is an important consideration in wood identification. Each wood species has specific color and it becomes the species characteristic. Colors in wood are highly variable and unique features. Characteristics of wood color are influenced by extractive materials and moisture contents present on it. A standard of color measurement has been developed and it is called CIE model. The standard was developed to be completely independent of any devices and was based as closely as possible on human observation in color. CIELAB system is one of the simplest and most practical color measurement methods. The system has been used in one of the color measurement devices developed by Data Color International that is Microflash-200*. This research was aimed at translating interpretation of wood color by human eye into mathematical values so that scientific measurement of wood color can be studied. The measured wood color were 10 species of pines and 10 species of eucalypts woods in dry condition. The results showed that the two groups had different average of L*, a* and b* values. The average of L* for pine was 70.77, while eucalypt group made up to 52.40. It means that eucalypt group is darker than pine group. For a* value, pine group mean value is 20.23, whereas eucalypt group touches 19.11. In other words, pine and eucalypt group have an approximately similar redness. The b* value average for pine and eucalypt groups are 43.40 and 29.07, respectively. This value means that pine group is more yellow than eucalypt group.

A detailed description of wood anatomy is essential for assessing the use of a wood species for processing, and also beneficial for the identification of wood samples. Computerized keys are available that allow the identification of wood samples until the genus level; however, it is not easy to use these keys to identify unknown species. Therefore, a database of anatomical characteristics and the computerized keys need to be completed up to species level. As the relevance, this study has examined the wood anatomical properties of the five corresponding tree species originated from Cianjur, West Java, which are commercially potential for their exploitation, i.e Castanopsis acuminatissima ADC. (Fagaceae); Castanopsis tungurrut ADC. (Fagaceae); Cinnamomum inners Reinw. ex Blume (Lauraceae); Ficus nervosa Heyne (Moraceae) and Horsfieldia glabra Warb. (Myristicaceae). Expectedly the results would be beneficial for wood identification purposes and evaluation for other possible uses. Observations on anatomical structures covered macroscopic and microscopic characteristics were carried out through the sectioned and macerated wood samples. The observed characteristics of the anatomical features were defined conforming to the IAWA List of Microscopic Features for Hardwood Identification. Based on the scrutiny on those observed characteristics and linked to the fiber quality, it was judged that the fiber in all the five wood species could be classified as class I for pulp and paper processing

Wood anatomy of P.S. Ashton was investigated in order to ensure this species belongs to yellow meranti group. Such study is very important since this species is already listed in the red list of IUCN and classified as critically endangered species. The microscopic slides were prepared according to the Johansen's method, while the anatomical features observed according to the IAWA List. The results show that wood exhibit brown heartwood, light brown sapwood, rough texture, straight grain sometimes interlocked and somewhat rough. The main microscopic characters are growth rings indistinct; vessel diffuse, mostly solitary, rounded to oval; simple perforation plate and alternate intervessel pits; parenchyma scanty paratracheal to thin vasicentric; axial intercellular canals in long tangential line, radial intercellular canal and vasicentric tracheids present; rays uniseriate and multiseriate, prismatic crystal in procumbent cells; fiber length 1,294 µm, diameter 26 µm and wall thickness 4 µm. Macroscopic and microscopic observation of wood confirms the species belongs to yellow meranti group. The assesment on fiber dimensions and derived values of the wood fibers classified the wood into class quality II. It indicates that this species is moderately favorable as raw material for pulp and paper manufacture.

Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengkaji pengaruh lama aktivasi terhadap perubahan struktur kimia dan mutu arang aktif. Arang aktif dibuat di dalam retor baja tahan karat yang dilengkapi dengan pemanas listrik pada suhu 850^oC dengan lama waktu reaksi 30, 60, 90 dan 120 menit dengan menggunakan uap air sebagai bahan pengaktif. Evaluasi strukur kimia arang aktif dilakukan dengan menggunakan spektrofotometri infra merah (FTIR), X-ray difraksi (XRD dan elektron mikroskop (SEM). Mutu arang aktif terbaik dihasilkan pada arang yang diaktivasi selama  90 menit. Rendemen yang dihasilkan sebesar 13,75 %, kadar air 3,03 %, abu 23,57 %, zat terbang 11,12 %, karbon 65,31 %. Daya serap terhadap iodin sebesar 1003,9 mg/g, benzena 19,10 %, formaldehida 40,55 % dan metilina biru 282,19 mg/g. Mutu arang aktif yang dihasilkan ini, terutama apa bila dilihat dari besarnya daya serap terhadap iodin dan metilina biru  memenuhi persyaratan Standar Indonesia. Hasil pengkajian struktur arang aktif dengan menggunakan XRD menunjukkan  tinggi (Lc) dan jumlah (N) lapisan aromatik meingkat dengan makin lamanya waktu aktivasi, sedangkan lebar (La) lapisan aromatik dan derajat kristalinitasnya (X) menurun dengan jarak antar lapisan (d) stabil.  Hasil analisis FTIR menunjukkan bahwa permukaan arang aktif mengandung ikatan C-O dan C-H, dan hasil analisis SEM menunjukkan jumlah dan diameter pori meningkat dengan makin lamanya waktu aktivasi dan didominasi oleh makropori. 

Contoh representative dua ratus jenis kayu yang berasal dari beberapa daerah di Indonesia diteliti sifat keawetannya terhadap serangan penggerek di laut. Masing-masing jenis kayu dibuat contoh uji berukuran 30 cm x 5 cm x 2.5 cm, dirakit dengan tali plastik dan dipasang di perairan Pulau Rambut serta diamati setelah 6 bulan. Dari hasil penelitian tersebut dibuat lima klasifikasi keawetan berdasarkan intensitas serangan pada masing-masing contoh uji.  Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa hampir semua contoh uji mendapat serangan berat oleh Pholadidae dan Teredinidae. Lima dari 200 jenis kayu yang diteliti atau 2.5 persen tahan terhadap penggerek di laut, dimasukkan ke dalam katagori kelas awet I dan 10 jenis atau 5 persen dimasukkan ke dalam kelas awet II. Sementara itu, sisanya  yang 26 jenis atau 13 persen termasuk kelas awet III, 50 jenis atau 25 persen termasuk kelas IV, dan 109 jenis atau 54.5 persen termasuk kelas V  

Penelitian sifat fisis dan mekanis kayu damar mata kucing bekas sadapan bertujuan untuk memanfaatkan kayu bekas sadapan yang sudah tidak produktif lagi. Hasil penelitian yang telah, menunjukkan bahwa rata-rata berat jenis (BJ) kering udara kayu bekas sadapan adalah sebesar 0,521, sedangkan kayu yang tidak disadap 0,522. Rata-rata keteguhan lentur maksimum (MOR) kayu bekas sadapan adalah 409,59 kg/cm², modulus elastisitas (MOE) sebesar 62.820 kg/cm² , sedangkan MOR dan MOE kayu tidak disadap masing-masing sebesar 537,69 kg/cm² dan 106.869 kg/cm². Kayu damar mata kucing baik yang disadap maupun tidak disadap tergolong kelas kuat III, dimana kayu tersebut hanya sesuai untuk digunakan sebagai bahan konstruksi ringan, mebel,  peti kemas, kerajinan, venir plywood, dan papan partikel.