Since prehistoric times and throughout the course of human evolution, wood has been an integral part of all civilizations. Wooden Cultural Heritage can be found worldwide, providing valuable information on the social and economic context of human history. Nonetheless, as a natural cellulosic material, wood shows low resistance to biodeterioration and thus wooden Cultural Heritage often fails to escape decomposition in both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. This book provides a comprehensive overview on the biodeterioration of wooden Cultural Heritage and describes the decay mechanisms of key organisms and microorganisms encountered in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Cultural Heritage professionals, researchers and academics may explore within this book the associations between deteriogens, habitats and decay, which will assist them to understand wood biodeterioration and design effective prevention, mitigation and remediation strategies. The book presents case studies around the world to demonstrate the impact of biogenic deterioration on wooden Cultural Heritage and illustrates mechanisms and patterns in order to be a useful handbook of decay diagnosis. Lastly, by adopting a holistic approach to wood decay, basic concepts of wood technology, ecology, and deteriogens' biology are introduced, permitting readers of different scientific backgrounds to easily comprehend wood biodeterioration.

The new edition of this textbook, while largely retaining the proven chapter structure of the previous editions, combines the quantitative, mathematical analysis of the mechanisms of wood processing with practical recommendations and solutions. It presents new theoretical and experimental approaches and offers a clear and systematic overview of the theory of wood cutting, thermal loading in wood-cutting tools, optimum choice of operational parameters, dynamic behavior of tool and workpiece, stability problems in wood machining, energy requirements, the wear process of tools and a unique analysis of surface roughness. In general, diagrams are provided to help quickly estimate various process parameters. As a modern and powerful tool, the process optimization procedure is also included, and amply demonstrated in worked-out examples. In this edition, new and updated material has been added in many sections: roughly a third of the book has been rewritten and a quarter of the figures are new. In addition, many figures have been revised for clarity. The authors are confident that this revised and expanded edition will continue to meet the needs of all those working in the field of wood machining.

Latin America is a megadiverse territory hosting several hotspots of plant diversity and many types of forest biomes, ecosystems and climate types, from tropical rainforest to semi-arid woodlands. This combination of diverse forests and climates generates multiple responses to ecological changes affecting the structure and functioning of forest ecosystems. Recently, there have been major efforts to improve our understanding of such impacts on ecosystems processes. However, there is a dearth of studies focused on Latin-American forest ecosystems that could provide novel insights into the patterns and mechanisms of ecological processes in response to environmental stress. The abundance of "New World" tree species with dendrochronological potential constitutes an ideal opportunity to improve the ecological state of knowledge regarding these diverse forest types, which are often threatened by several impacts such as logging or conversion to agricultural lands. Thus, detailed information on the dendroecology of these species will improve our understanding of forests in the face of global change. Accordingly, this book identifies numerous relevant ecological processes and scales, ranging from tree species to populations and communities, and from both dendrochronological and dendroecological perspectives. It offers a valuable reference guide for the exploration of long-term ecological interactions between trees and their environmental conditions, and will foster further research and international projects on the continent and elsewhere.

This proceedings volume presents new scientific works of the research workers and experts from the field of Wood Science & Fire. It looks into the properties of various tree species across the continents affecting the fire-technical properties of wood and wood-based materials, its modifications, fire-retardant methods and other technological processes that have an impact on wood ignition and burning. The results of these findings have a direct impact on Building Construction and Design describing the fire safety of wooden buildings, mainly large and multi-story ones. The results of these experiments and findings may be applied, or are directly implemented into Fire Science, Hazard Control, Building Safety which makes the application of wood and wood materials in buildings possible, while maintaining strict fire regulations. One part of the contributions focuses on the symbiosis of the material and the fire-fighting technologies. Wood burning has its own specific features, therefore, the fire protection technologies need to be updated regularly. It also includes the issue of the intervention of fire-fighting and rescue teams in the fires of wooden buildings. Presentations deal with the issue of forest fires influenced by the climate changes, relief, fuel models based on the type and the age of the forest stand.

In the agriculture, forestry, the primary and secondary wood working industry there are considerable resources of raw materials which can only be used in a rational manner for energetic purposes. Due to requirements from the users. one of the most retinal way of utilization is to make pellets with high density and specific energy content. Making pellets of 6-8 mm diameter, their utilization in furnaces allows an almost fully automated operation with high thermal efficiency. This book describes both the theoretical and practical aspects of pellet production including material requirements and preparation, pressing technologies, quality requirements, burning properties, investments and the overall economy of pellet production.

This book presents the results of an experiment assessing the impact of spruce wood joints on the creation and development of fire when these joints are applied within a facade. The book includes an extensive analysis of wooden cladding, which is a flammable material in which the elements are connected lengthwise using various types of joint. The parameters of the experiment, as well as the setting, material criteria and evaluation criteria are described in detail. The results confirm that the joint type used has an impact on the selected evaluation criteria and thus also on the potential spread of fire.

This book comprehensively summarizes important aspects of research in the active field of lignocellulosic (polymer) composites, including polymer materials from or containing cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. It describes how these materials can be produced from forest products and natural fibers from sources such as jute, flax, sisal, and many more, and even from agricultural residues (like wheat straw, corn stover, or sugarcane bagasse). In times of high demand for renewable green materials, lignocellulosic materials from organic matter produced by trees, shrubs and agricultural crops present a highly attractive feedstock. The international authors explain different treatment and fabrication methods for the production of lignocellulosic materials. Other chapters address the properties of these green materials or illustrate specific applications, ranging from food packaging and household products to adsorbents and even conductive polymer composites. In this way, this book offers a broad and comprehensive overview over the entire field of lignocellulosic composite materials.

This monograph describes ways of using trees and their byproducts in environmental protection technologies and methodologies throughout their lifecycles. The tree, the planet's main source of biomass, is an indispensable tool for sustainable technologies, and the authors present a holistic picture of how and why in this volume. The authors describe the indispensable role of the living tree in phytoremediation and biomonitoring and detail the relationship of the tree with its surrounding ecosystem. The direct and indirect relationships of a tree at its vegetation period with various components of the ecosystem (i.e. atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere and soil) contribute to the role of a tree as the medium for integrating aerogenic and edaphic pollutants. Trees phytostabilize pollutants in their organisms and remove them from the soil. The ability of some species of trees to reflect the quality of the environment makes a basis for the environmental bioindication, while quantitative representation of the chemical composition of the surrounding environment allows for the use of trees in biomonitoring. Morphological features of trees (e.g. annual tree rings) allow us to observe environmental conditions in the past and retrospectively evaluate them. This monograph also details how wood products (e.g. biochar, chips, bark, etc.) of a tree after it has died are used in environmental technologies. Due to the specific morphological form and physical and chemical composition of wood products, they may be used as active materials in the technologies aimed at reducing pollution in an effective and sustainable manner.

This book introduces readers to the application of fracture mechanics and mesomechanics to the analysis of the fracture behaviors of wood and bamboo. It presents a range of research methods to study the fracture behaviors of wood and bamboo, taking into account their various fracture mechanisms resulting from differences in their macroscopic and microscopic structures. It combines theoretical analysis with experiments, as well as various mathematical tools and experimental approaches. The research methods are illustrated by simple schematic diagrams, and the results obtained are largely presented as tables and figures, helping to make the book concise and compact. As such, it provides a valuable guide to the development of new biocomposites that possess exceptional strength and toughness properties and successfully overcome the shortcomings of biomaterials.

Face to the current global energy crisis, there is an urgent necessity of searching for alternatives to fossil fuels, and this book shows how timber is a promising resource for sustainable energy production. Northeast Mexico represents an important forest resource to satisfy the needs of the population in these areas. In order to harness these forest resources, technology for exploring these valuable resources must be developed. These technologies (with special reference to biology and wood technologies) are available in scattered form in a few books but there is no central, comprehensive source for practical forest scientists for adopting efficient forest management, practice, and exploration. This book deals with the characterization of the vegetation, morphology, phenological development, biomass production (leaf, litter, wood), and bioenergy of some timber-yielding species of Northeast Mexico, which will serve as a guide to study timber-yielding plants in the native vegetation of Tamaulipan thornscrub and experimental plantations. This includes morphology, vegetation cover, biomass production in terms of volume leaf biomass, litter, and volume of fire wood and timber. Special emphasis is given to the estimation of bioenergy products and chemical composition (Ph, extractable lignin, and inorganic elements). Large variations exist in vegetation cover, morphology, phenological development, biomass production of leaf and litter, volume of wood and various variable of bioenergy products among the selected species. The maximum production was found in summer and the volume of the harvestable timber was obtained in experimental plantations. This book, therefore, will serve as a practical handbook to characterize timber-yielding plants, which will help to efficiently manage forestry resources.

This brief contains information on the reduction of environmental impact and explains how it is a key driver for the R&D of new forest products. The authors, experts in the field, describe how Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is used to assess the environmental impact of such products, e.g. in order to guide R&D or attract investments. The authors describe the main challenges of carrying out LCAs on forest products, make recommendations for managing these challenges, and discuss future research needs. LCA case studies are used to illustrate the challenges, covering a variety of forest products: building components, biofuels, industrial chemicals, textile fibres and clothing. Described challenges include the planning of LCA studies (e.g.how can one use LCA in R&D?), the modelling of product systems (how can one handle multi-functionality and uncertainties related to waste handling and geographical location of future production?) and environmental impact (how can one assess water and land use impact, and the climate impact of biomass?).

This book provides an up-to-date overview of the various wood and tree fungi that damage trees, lumber, and timber. Special focus is given to identification, prevention, and remediation techniques, and the book bridges the gap between research and application. It covers the fundamentals of cytology and morphology.

There is a more practical section describing damage by viruses and bacteria on trees. The habitats of wood fungi are described as well as tree care. Important tree pathogens and wood decay fungi are characterized for prevention and identification. The final section focuses on the positive effects of wood-inhabiting microorganisms.

This volume describes fire behavior and fire protection of timbers in outdoors and indoors application mainly in construction industry. The Authors' novel approach considers the relationship between various species and age of timbers and its fire behavior at different thermal and fire loads. Quantitative data of ignition speed and flame propagation as well as generation of heat, smoke and toxic products are discussed. Analysis of fire resistance of various types of building materials based on timber of different species as well as the novel data on the effect of natural and accelerated aging of timbers on its fire behavior are discussed. The main practical methods of fire protection of new and ancient timber buildings and structures to increase its fire resistance are considered. The book should be useful for a wide range of readers: chemists, physicists, material scientists, architects, engineers, constructors and restorers.

This book describes the scientific principles that are used throughout the world to ensure the rapid, healthy growth of forest plantations. As the population of the world increases so does the amount of wood people use. Large areas of natural forests are being cleared every year and converted to other uses. Almost as large an area of plantation forests is being established annually to replace those lost natural forests. Eventually, plantations will produce a large proportion of the wood used around the world for firewood, building, the manufacture of paper and bioenergy. Forest plantations can also provide various environmental benefits including carbon storage, rehabilitation of degraded land, serving as disposal sites for various forms of industrial or agricultural waste and enhancing biodiversity in regions that have been largely cleared for agriculture. Whatever their motivation, plantation forest growers want their plantations to be healthy and grow rapidly to achieve their purpose as soon as possible. This book discusses how this is done. It is written for a worldwide audience, from forestry professionals and scientists through to small plantation growers, and describes how plantations may be grown responsibly and profitably.

This work, published in two volumes, contains descriptions of the wood and bark anatomies of 3000 dicotyledonous plants of 120 families, highlighting the anatomical and phylogenetic diversity of dicotyledonous plants of the Northern Hemisphere. The first volume principally treats families of the Early Angiosperms, Eudicots, Core Eudicots and Rosids, while the second concentrates on the Asterids. Presented in Volume 1 are microsections of the xylem and phloem of herbs, shrubs and trees of 1200 species and 85 families of various life forms of the temperate zone along altitudinal gradients from the lowland at the Mediterranean coast to the alpine zone in Western Europe. The global perspective of the findings is underlined by the analysis of 500 species from the Caucasus, the Rocky Mountains and Andes, the subtropical zone on the Canary Islands, the arid zones in the Sahara, in Eurasia, Arabia and Southwest North America, and the boreal and arctic zones in Eurasia and Canada. The presence of annual rings in all life forms demonstrates that herbs and dwarf shrubs are an excellent tool for the reconstruction of annual biomass production and the interannual dynamic of plant associations. The common principle of the anatomical expression of secondary growth is a key factor in understanding evolution and adaptation processes in all life forms, from the 2 cm tall whitlow grass (Draba arctica) in the arctic to the 40 m tall beech (Fagus sylvatica) in Central European managed forests. The study opens vast fields of research for dendrochronology, wood anatomy, taxonomy and ecology.

This four volume set covers the entire spectrum of pulp and paper chemistry and technology from starting material to processes and products including market demands. This work is essential for all students of wood science and a useful reference for those working in the pulp and paper industry or on the chemistry of renewable resources. Volume 1 provides a survey of the biological and chemical structure of wood as well as an introduction to the chemical reactions used during pulp production processes. The work presents the different raw materials used for pulp production, the macroscopic and morphological construction of wood and related characterization methods, the chemical structure and arrangement of the wood polymers and extractives, biosynthesis of wood polymers, carbohydrate and lignin analysis, reactions of wood polymers in mechanical and chemical pulping and bleaching processes, biotechnical processes of relevance for the pulp and paper industry, different types of microorganisms and their modes of interaction with wood, the impact of chemical and microbiological processes on the hierarchical structure of wood and pulp.

Millions of trees live and grow all around us, and we all recognize the vital role they play in the world's ecosystems. Publicity campaigns exhort us to plant yet more. Yet until recently comparatively little was known about the root causes of the physical changes that attend their growth. Since trees typically increase in size by three to four orders of magnitude in their journey to maturity, this gap in our knowledge has been a crucial issue to address. Here at last is a synthesis of the current state of our knowledge about both the causes and consequences of ontogenetic changes in key features of tree structure and function. During their ontogeny, trees undergo numerous changes in their physiological function, the structure and mechanical properties of their wood, and overall architecture and allometry. This book examines the central interplay between these changes and tree size and age. It also explores the impact these changes can have, at the level of the individual tree, on the emerging characteristics of forest ecosystems at various stages of their development. The analysis offers an explanation for the importance of discriminating between the varied physical properties arising from the nexus of size and age, as well as highlighting the implications these ontogenetic changes have for commercial forestry and climate change. This important and timely summation of our knowledge base in this area, written by highly respected researchers, will be of huge interest, not only to researchers, but also to forest managers and silviculturists.

This handbook provides an overview on wood science and technology of unparalleled comprehensiveness and international validity. It describes the fundamental wood biology, chemistry and physics, as well as structure-property relations of wood and wood-based materials. The different aspects and steps of wood processing are presented in detail from both a fundamental technological perspective and their realisation in industrial contexts. The discussed industrial processes extend beyond sawmilling and the manufacturing of adhesively bonded wood products to the processing of the various wood-based materials, including pulp and paper, natural fibre materials and aspects of bio-refinery. Core concepts of wood applications, quality and life cycle assessment of this important natural resource are presented. The book concludes with a useful compilation of fundamental material parameters and data as well as a glossary of terms in accordance with the most important industry standards. Written and edited by a truly international team of experts from academia, research institutes and industry, thoroughly reviewed by external colleagues, this handbook is well-attuned to educational demands, as well as providing a summary of state-of-the-art research trends and industrial requirements. It is an invaluable resource for all professionals in research and development, and engineers in practise in the field of wood science and technology.

This is a book about bubble prices, and their consequences, in the timber industry of the Pacific Northwest from 1979-1984. Bubble prices--unusual and rapid rises (and eventual drops) in the prices of a commodity--have been of theoretical interest to economists for many years. This study examines the unusual movements in the price of federal timber and the subsequent recession in the Northwest when timber buyers delayed harvests in order to postpone the realization of their losses on the contracts. Mattey argues that it was not so much the actions of the Federal Reserve, which had been widely blamed for the crisis, but rather the actions of the buyers themselves that caused the recession.

Wood is an ideal building material for sustainable architecture. It grows back and absorbs large quantities of CO2. But where does it actually come from in each case, and how will we make forestry and wood processing fit for the future? In what ways are conventional notions of professions and qualifications in architecture, engineering, and construction tested by using wood as building material? French journalist Michele Leloup together with architect Francois Leclercq-a pioneer of timber construction in France-have for a long time explored the ecological, economic, industrial, and technical challenges of using timber for major structures and urban architecture. This book summarises their findings using examples from the French forestry and construction industry. It also takes a look at Austria and the innovative work by Hermann Kaufmann, an internationally revered leader in the further development of traditional timber architecture. In addition, the book features five projects by Leclercq Associes. Richly and attractively illustrated with new images by French architecture photographer Cyrille Weiner, The Wood That Makes Our Cities offers a concise survey of topical questions and findings in contemporary timber construction. Text in French.

Wood is an ideal building material for sustainable architecture. It grows back and absorbs large quantities of CO2. But where does it actually come from in each case, and how will we make forestry and wood processing fit for the future? In what ways are conventional notions of professions and qualifications in architecture, engineering, and construction tested by using wood as building material? French journalist Michele Leloup together with architect Francois Leclercq - a pioneer of timber construction in France - have for a long time explored the ecological, economic, industrial, and technical challenges of using timber for major structures and urban architecture. This book summarises their findings using examples from the French forestry and construction industry. It also takes a look at Austria and the innovative work by Hermann Kaufmann, an internationally revered leader in the further development of traditional timber architecture. In addition, the book features five projects by Leclercq Associes. Richly and attractively illustrated with new images by French architecture photographer Cyrille Weiner, The Wood That Makes Our Cities offers a concise survey of topical questions and findings in contemporary timber construction.

For every man who has ever conjured up a picture of himself felling trees in a roar of chainsaw noise and power, "The Backyard Lumberjack" is an account of dreams fulfilled. Father and son lumberjacks Stephen and Frank Philbrick have enjoyed the thrilling destruction of felling, bucking, and splitting timber for hundreds of cords of firewood. Together they bring practical instruction and first-hand advice to every man with a chainsaw. Before there can be any felling of trees or satisfying shouting of Timberl, every potential lumberjack must choose the proper saw. The Philbricks offer buying advice based on the quantity of wood to be cut and the amount of time to be spent on the job. They provide diagrams of chain-saw parts, functions, and maintenance requirements; tables and charts of saw specifications and firewood volume; and personal cautionary tales of on-the-job injuries arm potential lumberjacks with the necessary tools to make informed choices. Chainsaw in hand, father and son move on to detailed instructions on managing a woodlot, felling and bucking, splitting and stacking, and even include fun facts on burning. For every lumberjack chore they offer advice on equipment (chaps, helmets, felling wedges, hatchets, mauls, peeves), careful procedural instruction, safety and efficiency strategies, and always their humorous anecdotes and tales of tree adventure. For the rural lumberjack with acres of wood- land, the suburban guy with a cord of wood to split and stack for the fireplace, or the urban guy who just likes to think about chainsaws, "The Backyard Lumberjack" is as much an engaging read on the legends and experiences of lumberjacking as a practical reference guide.