Wood

Book excerpt: Wood is the most accessible and renewable material used by humankind during its history. Today, the consumption of wood exceeds all other known materials. The industry of various products made of wood grows continuously. This book reviews research on hydrothermal treatment and modification of wood in the drying and impregnation process; the decomposition of coarse woody debris as an important component of the carbon cycle and biodivesity of forest ecosystems; and the potential of agroforestry as a carbon sequestration strategy. Also discussed is the importance of fossil woods, types of preservation, and their significance in reconstructing the palaeo-climatology and paleo-environment of a region as well as the limitation in identifying the fossil woods.