Identify U.S. woods by structure, density, and physical traits with practical accuracy.
This handbook teaches you how to distinguish woods using observable features and measurement-based properties. It emphasizes macroscopic clues and simple techniques you can use in the field or the lab.
Part I covers the main structural and physical properties of wood, explaining how anatomy, density, moisture, and texture relate to usefulness and classification. Part II presents a practical key to the economic woods of the United States, with emphasis on features visible without advanced equipment and in cross sections or simple observations.
- Learn macroscopic clues that separate woods by grain, texture, color, and natural patterns.
- Understand how moisture, shrinkage, and density affect identification and handling.
- Discover how to prepare samples, cut cross sections, and use straightforward observations to classify unknown woods.
- Use the included key and reference material to compare known woods and infer likely species.
Ideal for foresters, timber inspectors, wood users, and students studying wood technology.