Analysis of fine structures of wood and wood products

Background and Objective

The import of lesser known timber, the cultivation of non-native species (including genetically modified trees) and the development of wood products require an ongoing analysis of wood structures and their properties. The investigations are supplemented to describe the properties and potential uses of commercial timber. The data material will be also provided to timber traders, producers and consumers.

Target Group

Trade, producers, consumers, and science

Approach

Specimens from current submissions to the "Thünen Centre of Competence on the Origin of Timber” from own experiments and from cooperation projects are basically investigated and evaluated with regard to its structural-property relationships.

Data and Methods

By using light and electron microscopic analyses, structural details of the wood species are investigated and evaluated with regard to their properties. Cellular UV spectroscopic analyses (UMSP) of the topochemistry of lignin and deposited phenolic extractivesare are also used to characterize the wood specific properties.

Our Research Questions

Which qualities have "lesser known species", i.e. newly imported commercial timber? Which structural and functional relationships can be derived from the tested woods and wood-based materials?