The Chemistry of Solid Wood

Wood—a natural, cellular, composite material of botanical origin—possesses unique structural and chemical characteristics that render it desirable for a broad variety of end uses. The level of suitability for a given end use (i.e., wood quality) is frequently determined by the wood's response to imposed physical and chemical treatments. However, in addition to these criteria, wood quality is also often based on the behavior of wood when subjected to the natural forces of the environment (e.g., weather, fire, and decay). All of these performance criteria are related either directly or indirectly to wood chemistry together with the wood's organizational architecture at the macroscopic and microscopic levels. This chapter reviews both of these structural domains, the development of wood characteristics in a growing tree, and why these characteristics can govern the behavior of wood under various treatment regimes. Emphasis is also given to the potential sources of wood variability, including wood type (softwood or hardwood), tree genus or species, and the variability present even within a single tree.