ironwoods

durability and restoration species comparison

property / indicator	casuarina junghuhniana	diospyros celebica	eusideroxylon zwageri	handroanthus impetiginosus	mesua ferrea
---------------------------------------------	-------------------------	---------------------	-------------------------	-----------------------------	----------------
wood density (kg m⁻³)	≈ 1 050	≈ 1 100	1 050–1 300	1 100–1 200	≈ 1 100
rot & fungal resistance	high	high	extreme	extreme	very high
termite resistance	moderate–high	high	extreme	very high	very high
freshwater durability (years)	50–100	60–100	100–200+	80–150+	≥ 100
workability	moderate	difficult	very difficult	difficult	difficult
juvenile height growth (m year⁻¹)	0.8–1.2	0.4–0.6	0.3–0.5	0.6–1.0	0.2–0.4
juvenile phase length (years)	10–12	12–20	20–30	10–15	15–25
usable log diameter age (years)	25–35	40–60	80–120	35–50	70–100
optimal altitude (m)	500–2 400	0–900	0–600	0–1 400	0–1 000
drought tolerance	high	moderate	low	high	moderate
high-margin non-wood uses	windbreak, charcoal, erosion control	ebony blanks, pigment	sacred timber, heritage premium	pau d’arco bark, yellow dye	seed oil, fragrance
expected growth in your village (1 200 m, sandy, dry)	0.7 m yr⁻¹; thrives	0.3 m yr⁻¹; slow	< 0.2 m yr⁻¹; unsuitable	0.5–0.7 m yr⁻¹; good	0.15–0.25 m yr⁻¹; very slow