Wood Technology

wood technology introduction to

Written by Celine Lityo Design and edits by Rebecca Sopacua

“I’m so board. I wish something fun wood come along”

The field of wood technology might sound odd. After all is there so much to study about this age-old building material? In fact, wood technology is a broad study of everything wood, from its characteristics, structures, and properties to wood production and manufacturing.

Wood technologists work to improve efficiency in the production line through research and technical control.

Our thoughts have been limited to picture wood as a log or a wooden chair. But little did we know that wood’s versatile structure allows it to take form as paper or tissue as well as wood fuel and alcohols for energy. Chop it up in different ways and we get wood chips, wood wool, pellets and veneer. The possibilities are endless!

Recently, The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has just released data that shows the highest growth of global wood production in 70 years.

The rapid growth in the wood industry makes sense due to the positive economic growth and higher demand for furniture products. Many climate change activists advocate for wood free and more sustainable materials, fun fact: there were more trees in the United States today compared to 50 years ago. Trees are a renewable resource, so wood products aren’t all that harmful to the environment as claimed, unless it is responsibly sourced. This way, we can still enjoy durable, beautiful and renewable wood for our daily use.

Written by Celine Lityo Design and edits by Rebecca Sopacua

Wood products are categorized into many groups depending on their manufacturing processes and purposes. Three of the most common are:

LUMBER is the wood used in

construction, furniture, paper and other similar purposes, this is the type of wood that takes form as planks or boards. Lumberjacks sell their timber by thickness and length.

ENGINEERED

WOOD PRODUCTS takes up a whole range of man-made woods. Harvested wood is modified by altering its structural bonding of strands, particles or fibers using adhesives. These include densified woods, plywood, fiberboards, laminated veneers and many more.

MASS TIMBER

are mostly used in construction. Weighing in at 1/5th the mass of conventional concrete, its high strength to weight ratio makes them a strong building block. Mass timber is also fire resistant and cheap.

These different types of wood are constantly being innovated to suit the growing market. Learn the various types of wood and processes on our next report!

Written by Celine Lityo Design and edits by Rebecca Sopacua

SOURCES: -

http://www.fao.org/forestry/statistics/80938/en/ https://www.afandpa.org/our-products/wood-products https://home.howstuffworks.com/lumber.htm https://www.thinkwood.com/news/4-things-to-know-about-mass-timber https://career.iresearchnet.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Wood-Technologist.jpg https://www.naturallymed.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/12.jpg https://www.hfm.tum.de/ďŹ leadmin/_processed_/e/c/csm__DSC3103_88985d2b58.jpg

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https://media.brstatic.com/2017/06/23113752/how-much-does-a-cord-of-wood-cost-912x720.jpg

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https://cdn.redshift.autodesk.com/2016/04/MGA-mass-timber-wood-innovation-design-centre-hero.jpg

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https://i0.wp.com/www.builder.id/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/kayu-solid-dan-engin eering.jpg?resize=700%2C350&ssl=1

Written by Celine Lityo Design and edits by Rebecca Sopacua