ABSTRACT
Timber, arguably the original building material, retains its prime importance within the construction industry because of its versatility, diversity and aesthetic properties. About 20% of the earth’s land mass is covered by forests, divided roughly two-thirds as hardwoods in temperate and tropical climates and one third as softwoods within temperate and colder regions. Approximately a third of the annual worldwide timber harvest is used in construction, and the rest is consumed for paper production, as a fuel, or wasted during the logging process.
