This textbook was initially written as an introduction to the anatomical and physical nature of wood and the relationship of these characteristics to its use as an industrial raw material. Over its nearly four decades of service, the book has been expanded in places to discuss and address other nonwood bio‐based products and building materials, but wood remains the focus. Wood‐based materials discussed include solid wood products, engineered composites, energy, and paper and fiber products. Also discussed are the basic processes involved in the production of the principal wood and other bio‐based products and how their properties affect their use and performance. Related issues examined herein include the use of wood for energy and chemicals, environmental implications of wood‐based materials, and the global wood supply picture.

College‐level students in Forestry, Natural Resources, and Wood Science are the primary audience for this text. However, given the high degree to which wood and wood‐based products are embedded in our culture, students of architecture, structural engineering, building construction, and related disciplines should develop an appreciation of the many potential forms and uses for wood and other bio‐based materials. Society in North America and around the world depends on wood and other bio‐based products, namely from sustainable forests, for basic shelter, sanitation, heat, and numerous other daily and basic needs. Wood products are ubiquitous. Thus, a sound understanding of the keys to the proper selection of raw materials for any wood‐based product, and of the type of wood product best suited for a given application, is extremely important.

The term bio‐based is somewhat novel. It includes materials and products from wood as well as agricultural residues and other lignocellulosic, nonfood sources. In the United States, this broader term often seems more environmentally benign. To date, wood or products from the forest remain the largest component under the bioproducts umbrella. It is known that regardless of any name change, wood and forest‐derived woody materials will continue to account for the vast majority of all bio‐based materials. Processing costs, storage issues, and environmental footprints lead to this situation. To paraphrase Shakespeare: a wood product by any other name is still a wood product.

This text is divided into four parts. The first part (Chapters 1–6) introduces the growth and structure of hardwoods and softwoods, chemical and structural characteristics, and inherent variability. The second part (Chapters 7–11) examines the physical properties of wood, relates these properties to wood’s chemical and structural characteristics, and explores how forest‐related factors impact wood quality and properties. The third part (Chapters 12–15) discusses the major wood‐based products, the basic manufacturing processes associated with each, and how raw material selection affects product properties. The final part (Chapters 16 and 17) focuses on the global raw materials picture, the increasing use of wood as a source of energy and chemicals, and environmental implications of the use of wood. Products from other nonwood bio‐based sources are sprinkled in throughout.

The increasing sophistication of scientific tools that allow the nanoscale measurement, visualization, and manipulation of material building blocks continues to provide new insights and possibilities across almost every field, including tree physiology and wood and materials science. Thus, even in such fields of inquiry as tree growth and wood structure – topics that have been extensively researched and reported over a long period of time – knowledge of fundamental processes and structures continues to change. Similarly, advancements relative to new product development, product enhancement, and production technology are ongoing. Nanotechnology continues to slowly develop and to show promise with respect to bringing positive change across society and throughout the wood‐based industries. That said, it is traditional wood products such as lumber, plywood, other composites, and pulp and paper that continue to hold the key to deriving economic, social, and environmental benefits from vast forest land areas.

This, the Seventh Edition, is a significant revision of the Sixth Edition, which was published in 2011. In particular, discussion is given to cross‐laminated timber (CLT), a structural composite which is novel to North America and which has the potential to significantly enhance wood products markets. Although targeted for North America, efforts continue to broaden the text’s international appeal in response to the exponential growth of worldwide distribution. The first edition of this text was initially published more than three decades ago in 1982. Through time, the authors have sought to maintain the basic fundamental concepts while revising the time‐sensitive applications and technologies. In general, the fundamental laws of physics and nature, along with basic principles of biological and physical science and engineering, are unchanging. Production methods, technologies, and statistics, however, require continual updating and revision.

The authors also express their sincere thanks to the previous authors, Drs John Haygreen (posthumously) and Jim Bowyer, as well as the reviewers who played a vital role in this or earlier editions. These include but are not limited to: Kent T. Adair, Terry L. Amburgey, Donald G. Arganbright, James P. Armstrong, Stravros Avramidis, H. Michael Barnes, Thomas E. Batey, Jr, Frank C. Beall, B. Alan Bendtsen, Dwight W. Bensend, Evalgelos J. Biblis, Brian H. Bond, Arthur B. Brauner, Charles C. Brunner, Ben S. Bryant, Honorio F. Carino, Vincent L. Chiang, Poo Chow, Gilbert L. Comstock, Terry E. Connors, Harold A. Core, John B. Crist, Bruce E. Cutter, Robert W. Erickson, Richard L. Folk, Charles E. Frazier, David W. French, Douglas J. Gardner, Barbara L. Gartner, Roland O. Gertjejansen, Irving S. Goldstein, Barry S. Goodell, Thomas M. Gorman, Robert L. Govett, Hans M. Gregersen, Richard F. Helm, R. Bruce Hoadley, Peter J. Ince, Judson G. Isebrands, John J. Janowiak, Fred A. Kamke, Philip O. Larson, Joseph R. Loferski, E. A. McGinnes, Thomas M. Maloney, Timothy A. Martin, David J. Moorhead, Kenneth J. Muehlenfeld, Wayne K. Murphey, Helmuth Resch, Irving B. Sachs, Simo Sarkanen, John F. Senft, Craig E. Schuler, Tor P. Schultz, Audrey Zink Sharp, John R. Shelly, Todd F. Shupe, Richard A. Skok, Douglas D. Stokke, Otto Suchsland, Edward I. Sucoff, Richard J. Thomas, Ulrike Tschirner, Elisabeth A. Wheeler, Edwin H. White, Ed Williston, James B. Wilson, K. C. Yang, Raymond A. Young, John I. Zerbe, and Steven C. Zylkowski. Special thanks go to Donald L. Buckner, John B. Crist, Frank C. Owens, Tor P. Schultz, Shane Kitchens, Ron Teclaw, John P. Limbach, Elisabeth A. Wheeler, Mississippi State University, North Carolina State University, Southern Pine Inspection Bureau, Timber Products Inspection, Inc., Trus Joist/Weyerhaeuser, and the University of Minnesota for their photographic contributions.

Rubin Shmulsky has an MS degree in Forest Products and a PhD degree in Forest Resources from Mississippi State University. He has a BS in Building Materials Management and Wood Technology from the University of Massachusetts. He is professor and department head of Sustainable Bioproducts (formerly Forest Products) at Mississippi State University. Previously he served on the faculty of Wood and Paper Science at the University of Minnesota. He is a board member of the Society of Wood Science and Technology and an active member of the Forest Products Society and American Society of Civil Engineering.

P. David Jones has a PhD in Forest Resources from University of Georgia, an MSF degree from Stephen F. Austin State University, a BS in Forest Resource Management from Clemson and an Associate’s degree from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. Currently he provides outreach and consulting services internationally to the Forest Products industry. Previously he served on the faculty of Forest Products at Mississippi State University after serving as a Post Doctoral Research Associate at Virginia Polytechnic and State University. He has provided service to a variety of professional and trade organizations over the years.